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Space Power and Reactor Capabilities (SPARC) - Presolicitation Synopsis

Open — responses due 20 Nov 2026 (6 days left) · No Set aside used · National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) · Cleveland, OH · NAICS 541715 · Solicitation 80GRC026R0009_PS

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Solicitation details

Solicitation number80GRC026R0009_PS
Notice IDf428c34833c14fa1adeff18ddbe6b567
AgencyNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Contracting officeNASA GLENN RESEARCH CENTER
NAICS code541715 — Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (Except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
Product / service code (PSC)AR15
Set-asideNo Set aside used
Notice typePresolicitation
Posted28 October 2026
Response deadline20 November 2026
Place of performanceCleveland, OH, USA
CompetitionCompetitive

AI read of this solicitation

FedSift read the solicitation and pulled out what decides a bid, quoting the document wherever it makes a claim. Analysed 30 October 2026.

What is being bought

Acquisition of space nuclear systems, subsystems, hardware, materials, and software, including design, development, test, evaluation, and operations, via a Multiple-Award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (MAIDIQ) contract, with an initial focus on the Lunar Reactor - 1 (LR-1) Phase 1 task order.

  • Design, development, test, and evaluation of space nuclear systems
  • Fabrication, assembly, verification, and certification of space nuclear hardware
  • Sustaining maintenance and operations of space nuclear systems
  • Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for Lunar Reactor - 1 (LR-1)
  • Electrically-heated integrated system testing of LR-1 subsystems
  • Component-level radiation exposure testing for LR-1

Competition

Full and open competition — no set-aside restrictions; any responsible offeror may bid.

Key risk

  • THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY holds a dominant 35% share of historical awards in this space, indicating a strong incumbent position.
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Description

Amendment 1 (October 28, 2026) This posting is hereby amended to correct the title from "Space Power and Reactor Capabilities (SPARC) - Sources Sought Notice" to "Space Power and Reactor Capabilities (SPARC) - Presolicitation Synopsis". Original Posting (October 27, 2026) NASA intends to issue the Space Power and Reactor Capabilities (SPARC) Final Request for Proposals (RFP) via sam.gov on or around November 20, 2026. A Sources Sought Notice for SPARC was posted to sam.gov on August 3, 2026, entitled "Space Power and Reactor Capabilities (SPARC) - Sources Sought Notice" and under Notice ID 80GRC026SPARC. A Draft RFP for SPARC was posted to sam.gov on August 30, 2026, entitled " Space Power and Reactor Capabilities (SPARC) - Draft Request for Proposals (DRFP)" and under Notice ID 80GRC026R0009. Interested parties are highly encouraged to review the Draft RFP posting for information regarding the acquisition including the Industry Day Presentation and Questions and Answers. The Notice ID for the SPARC Final RFP is likely be updated due to it being released in Government Fiscal Year (GFY) 2027. SPARC will be competed as a Multiple-Award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (MAIDIQ) contract to provide for the design, development, analysis, fabrication, assembly, verification, validation, test, evaluation, certification, delivery (ground and/or space), and sustaining maintenance and operations of space nuclear systems, subsystems, hardware, materials, and software. Specifically, SPARC is intended to be NASA's preferred contractual mechanism for the competition and award of task orders related to the Design, Deveopment, Test, and Evaluation (DDT&E) of the Lunar Reactor - 1 (LR-1) system. Concurrent with (and as part of) the competition and award of SPARC, NASA intends to compete the first task order to be awarded under SPARC in the LR-1 Phase 1 Task Order. This task order represents the first step in the development of LR-1 and provides for the following objectives: Objective 1. Develop a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) level design for LR-1 that achieves the defined requirements and ensures the technology readiness is sufficient to proceed to flight system development. Objective 2. Perform an electrically-heated integrated system test in a relevant environment (as defined by the requirements) that incorporates representative versions of the key subsystems (an engineering test unit (ETU)). Objective 3. Perform component-level radiation exposure testing to demonstrate the LR-1 design will operate as intended within the induced (reactor) and natural (Lunar surface) radiation environments.

Version history

SAM.gov has posted 2 notices under solicitation 80GRC026R0009_PS, oldest first.

Documents in the solicitation package

1 file is attached to this notice.

  • SPARC Draft RFP

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Market context: NASA and NAICS 541715

About the buyer and the industry, not this specific solicitation. Source: USASpending.gov award data, updated nightly.

  • In fiscal year 2026, NASA obligated $1.1B across 635 contract actions under NAICS 541715.
  • 562 contracts worth $4.4B in this category end within the next 18 months.

NASA contracts under NAICS 541715 →

Other open solicitations in NAICS 541715

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Source: this notice on SAM.gov. FedSift republishes public federal procurement data and is not affiliated with the U.S. Government. Always confirm dates and requirements against SAM.gov before responding.

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Source data: SAM.gov (solicitations) and USASpending.gov (awards), refreshed nightly. FedSift is not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

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