Sources SoughtPosted Jul 6, 2026·Responses due Jul 24, 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 · this notice
    Sources Sought
  • 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
    Sources Sought
    Open
  • 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 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… (show all)

-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) individuals from each company/team. Please RSVP for the Pre-Proposal Conference by Wednesday July 8, 2026, 12:00 p.m. CT by sending an email to the following address: jsc-cldc@mail.nasa.gov. The RSVP email must include the following: Subject Line: CLDC DRFP Pre-Proposal Conference RSVP Full company name Company address SAM Unique Entity ID and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code Company point of contact name, phone number, and email address Company size/type (e.g., Large Business, Small Business, Women-Owned Small Business, etc.) Names, position descriptions, and email addresses of attendees (no more than ten (10) individuals may represent any party or team of parties) Indication of your company�s desire to be added to the Interested Parties list, which will be publicly available on the Sam.gov. A confirmation email will be sent to acknowledge your reservation(s) and provide further instructions. NASA anticipates releasing the DRFP Pre-Proposal Conference charts prior to the DRFP Pre-Proposal Conference. Please continue to monitor this SAM.gov posting for updates on the release of any documents. One-on-One Meetings: The Government will offer one-on-one communication opportunities for Prime Offerors and Transportation Providers from Monday, July 13, 2026, through Wednesday, July 15, 2026. These meetings will be conducted in person at the Gilruth Center with a virtual participation option. The exact meeting location will be provided to companies upon confirmation of their scheduled time slot. Participation is limited to eight (8) representatives per company/team for in?person attendance, with additional representatives able to join virtually. RSVP Instructions Companies must RSVP for the one-on-one meetings no later than 2:00 PM Central Time on Thursday, July 9, 2026, by emailing jsc-cldc@mail.nasa.gov. The RSVP email must include: Company name, address, primary point of contact information, and SAM Unique Entity ID If requesting a one-on-one meeting: Names and position titles/descriptions of up to 8 attendees Contact information for each attendee Requested meeting date and time Questions regarding this notice should also be submitted to jsc-cldc@mail.nasa.gov. To facilitate engagement with industry, NASA personnel will conduct one-on-one meetings with individual companies. These sessions will be structured as Question-and-Answer (Q&A) discussions only; formal presentations are not permitted. Permitted Discussion Topics The following topics may be addressed during the meetings: The general purpose of the procurement Publicly available information related to the CLDC acquisition including the Draft RFP Federal procurement processes as defined by the FAR, NASA FAR Supplement (NFS), or other official policy documents Previously released procurement-specific information Prohibited Discussion Topics The following topics will not be discussed: Proprietary or confidential business information of any entity Privacy Act�protected information (e.g., personal data of contractor employees) Trade Secrets Act�protected information Speculation regarding proposal expectations Government preferences or emphasis beyond what is publicly available Incumbent contractor performance Additional Information A confirmation email will be sent to acknowledge reservations and provide further instructions. Recording of any kind is strictly prohibited during one-on-one sessions. It is the responsibility of all potential offerors to monitor official websites for updates related to this acquisition.

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.