Sources SoughtPosted Sep 21, 2026·Responses due Jul 27, 2026

Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination Contract (CLDC) Draft Request for Proposal

NASA · NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

Stage
Early notice (sources sought, presolicitation or special notice)
NAICS
336414
Value
Not stated
Solicitation
80JSC026R0021DRFP
Set-aside
No Set aside used
PSC
V126
Place
Houston, TX, USA
Contact
Ashley Chaves (jsc-cldc@mail.nasa.gov)
CSV Email

Capture briefs (a one-page, shareable copy of this page) are part of Pro. The CSV here holds the notice, its timeline and past awards.

Where this opportunity stands

Every notice posted under solicitation 80JSC026R0021DRFP in this department, oldest first.

Early notice
  • Jul 6, 2026
    Sources Sought
    Open
  • Jul 7, 2026
    Sources Sought
    Open
  • Jul 7, 2026
    Sources Sought
    Open
  • Jul 9, 2026
    Sources Sought
    Open
  • Jul 10, 2026
    Sources Sought
    Open
  • Aug 14, 2026
    Sources Sought
    Open
  • Aug 14, 2026
    Sources Sought
    Open
  • Sep 14, 2026
    Sources Sought
    Open
  • Sep 21, 2026 · this notice
    Sources Sought
  • Oct 9, 2026
    Sources Sought
    Open
Solicitation
None posted
Award
Not yet. Typical award: Aug 23, 2026 to Feb 8, 2027, middle of the range Nov 10, 2026.
Measured from 23 past early notices at National Aeronautics and Space Administration that later posted an award (middle half of cases, counted from Jul 6, 2026).

Next steps for this stage

Standard steps for the notice type; not advice about this buyer.

  • Answer the notice: this is when the requirement can still be shaped.
  • Contact the contracting officer named on the notice.
  • Check who won similar work; they are the likely bidders.

What the notice says

This is a modification to the notice entitled "Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination Contract (CLDC) Draft Request for Proposal" which was posted on July 6, 2026. You are notified that the following changes are made: The following document is posted: (1) Updates to CLDC Draft RFP Industry Questions and Answers - Rounds 1 and 2.pdf In response to Industry feedback to the Draft Request for Proposal (DRFP) posted on July 6, 2026, NASA is releasing updated answers to some of the previously posted questions. Due to the volume of responses NASA has received to the DRFP, NASA will be respondin… (show all)

g to Industry comments in batches, starting with the document titled " Draft RFP Industry Q and A Response Part 1.pdf�. Please monitor this announcement regularly for continuing updates regarding NASA�s response to Industry�s comments. ______________________ This is a modification to the notice entitled "Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination Contract (CLDC) Draft Request for Proposal" which was posted on July 6, 2026. You are notified that the following changes are made: The following document is posted: (1) Draft RFP Industry Q and A Response Part 2.pdf In response to Industry feedback to the Draft Request for Proposal (DRFP) posted on July 6, 2026, NASA is releasing a response to some of the comments received. Due to the volume of responses NASA has received to the DRFP, NASA will be responding to Industry comments in batches, starting with the document titled " Draft RFP Industry Q and A Response Part 1.pdf�. Please monitor this announcement regularly for continuing updates regarding NASA�s response to Industry�s comments. ______________________ This is a modification to the notice entitled "Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination Contract (CLDC) Draft Request for Proposal" which was posted on July 6, 2026. You are notified that the following changes are made: The following document is posted: (1) Draft RFP Industry Q and A Response Part 1.pdf (2) CLDC Public Interested Parties List In response to Industry feedback to the Draft Request for Proposal (DRFP) posted on July 6, 2026, NASA is releasing a response to some of the comments received. Due to the volume of responses NASA has received to the DRFP, NASA will be responding to Industry comments in batches, starting with the document titled " Draft RFP Industry Q and A Response Part 1.pdf�. Please monitor this announcement regularly for continuing updates regarding NASA�s response to Industry�s comments. The second attachment titled �CLDC Public Interest Parties List� is the list of entities that have indicated interest in this acquisition and has elected to share their interest with the public. ______________________ This is a modification to the notice entitled "Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination Contract (CLDC) Draft Request for Proposal" which was posted on July 6, 2026. You are notified that the following changes are made: The Draft RFP Pre-Proposal Conference Questions and Answers have been posted. The due date for DRFP responses is extended to July 27, 2026 at 8:00am. The location for One on Ones with Prime Contractors and United States Transportation Providers has been moved to Johnson Space Center Building 111. Parking is outside the main security gate, badging is not required for entrance in Building 111. A map of the Johnson Space Center can be found at the link below: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/jsc_map.pdf As updates are made, Offerors should ensure they are viewing the most current version of the "Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination Contract (CLDC) Draft Request for Proposal" page on SAM.gov. Offerors are responsible for monitoring this site for the release of the solicitation and any amendments. Potential offerors are responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments (if any). ______________________ This is a modification to the notice entitled "Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination Contract (CLDC) Draft Request for Proposal" which was posted on July 6, 2026. You are notified that the following changes are made: The document titled "01_CLDC dRFP July 2026" has been replaced with "01_CLDC dRFP July 2026r1". A minor update was made to the dRFP letter, no changes have been made to the contents of the dRFP. The due date for responses is not extended. Offerors are responsible for monitoring this site for the release of the solicitation and any amendments. Potential offerors are responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments (if any). ---------------------- This is a modification to the notice entitled "Commercial Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination Contract (CLDC) Draft Request for Proposal" which was posted on July 6, 2026. You are notified that the following changes are made: The document titled "02_CLDC dSOW July 2026" has been replaced with "02_CLDC SOW July 2026 (No CUI Cover Page)." The due date for responses is not extended. Offerors are responsible for monitoring this site for the release of the solicitation and any amendments. Potential offerors are responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments (if any). _____ THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. NO PROPOSALS ARE TO BE SUBMITTED IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE This notice is issued by the NASA/Johnson Space Center to post draft RFP (DRFP) to solicit responses from interested parties. This document is for information and planning purposes and to allow industry the opportunity to verify reasonableness and feasibility of the requirement, as well as promote competition. The Commercial Low Earth Orbit Contract will acquire services for a commercially owned and operated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Destination that can provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective end-to-end services to succeed the International Space Station (ISS). This will ensure NASA has a sustained human presence in LEO for Crew members to perform science and exploration. As part of this service, the Contractor(s) will design, build, and operate the Commercial LEO Destination (CLD) which covers all aspects of development and certification, including design, manufacturing, demonstration/testing, qualification, production, transportation vehicles, including operational missions (cargo/crew) and utilization activities post CLD certification. This DRFP is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response. The Government may not respond to questions/concerns submitted. The Government will use the information to finalize the RFP as necessary. All comments or questions must be submitted electronically via email to Ashley Chaves at jsc-cldc@mail.nasa.gov, no later than July 24, 2026 at 8:00am Central. When responding reference "80JSC026R0021 DRFP". NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at: https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/procurement/regs/Procurement-Ombuds-Comp-Advocate-Listing.pdf If a solicitation is released, then it and any additional documents will be available on Sam.gov. It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor this website for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments, if any. NASA intends to publicize a listing of respondents to facilitate teaming arrangements. Should your firm desire not to be included in this listing, clearly indicate this desire in your response. DRFP Pre-Proposal Conference: The DRFP Pre-Proposal Conference for this solicitation will be held on Thursday, July 9, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CT via Microsoft Teams. Attendance at the DRFP pre-proposal conference is recommended; however, attendance is neither required nor a prerequisite for proposal submission. No recordings of any kind are permitted. Participation is limited to a total of ten (10) individua

Who won similar work

6 award notices on SAM.gov in the last 24 months. Match: Same agency (NASA), same NAICS 336414.

WinnerAwardsValueLast
SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE San Antonio TX 78238 USA2$86.4MFeb 14, 2025
SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP. · $SPCX1$5.9BSep 18, 2026
AXIOM SPACE INC1$65.8MJul 31, 2026
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF NEW HAMPSHIRE Durham NH 03824 USA1$24.3MNov 14, 2024
THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY LLC1$20.5MJan 17, 2025

Value counts single-winner awards. "Shared" awards are multiple-award contracts that list every winner with the same total ceiling; that ceiling is not one company's win, so it is not added in.

Latest awards

Competitive landscape

For the 5 most frequent past winners above. Lobbying is matched by the company's exact name or exact ticker; agencies are as named on the filings.

  • 3 of these past winners lobbied Natl Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) since 2024 (35 filings)
  • 0 of their lobbyists list a past Natl Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) job
  • No corporate PAC money from them to the overseeing committees since 2024
  • 0 foreign-agent (FARA) registrations
See who and the source records with Pro

Policy around it

Bills the past winners named while lobbying this agency's issues, rules from the department, and executive orders that name the agency, last 12 months.

  • 8 bills named on the past winners' lobbying filings
  • 16 rules from the department in the last 12 months
  • 0 executive orders naming the agency in the last 12 months
See who and the source records with Pro

Market

For past winners matched exactly to a listed company. Insider trades are open-market buys and sells (Form 4) in the last 90 days, shown as facts; our own study found insiders do not reliably buy ahead of awards.

  • 1 of the past winners are listed companies
  • 0 insider buys and 0 insider sells at them in the last 90 days
See who and the source records with Pro

Sources: SAM.gov notices and award notices; Senate LDA lobbying filings; FEC filings; FARA; Federal Register; congress.gov; SEC Form 4. Every row above links to its record.

Companies are matched to tickers by exact name only. A company we could not match shows no market rows; that is a miss, not a finding.