WASHINGTON - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is soliciting industry input on low-cost, commercially provided microwave radiometer capabilities to support its Fleet for the Atmosphere Linking Commercial Observations with NASA (FALCON) Earth science initiative.
The request for information, issued by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, seeks concepts for passive microwave radiometry that could operate in coordination with other FALCON missions. The agency is emphasizing approaches that leverage commercial spacecraft, launch, and mission operations, with a target of concepts ready for launch by the third quarter of fiscal year 2029.
FALCON is a fleet of missions designed to address atmospheric science priorities identified in the 2017 National Academies decadal survey, including clouds, convection, precipitation, and aerosols. The effort includes missions such as the Investigation of Convective Updrafts (INCUS), the Polarized Submillimeter Ice-Cloud Radiometer (PolSIR), and the Stratosphere Troposphere Response using Infrared Vertically-resolved light Explorer (STRIVE), along with planned lidar and radar elements and potential international partnerships.
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Radiometer capabilities
NASA is evaluating concepts for a radiometer capability that would operate in formation with other FALCON assets without defining the overall orbital architecture. Respondents are asked to consider a range of orbital parameters, including altitudes from 400 to 550 kilometers and inclinations spanning sun-synchronous and mid-inclination orbits near 55 degrees, as well as station-keeping capability and operational duty cycles.
The agency is seeking instrument concepts with spectral coverage in millimeter and submillimeter wave bands, including details on channel count, bandwidth, resolution, radiometric accuracy, and noise performance. Additional considerations include scanning geometry, spatial resolution, onboard calibration approaches, and data delivery characteristics such as latency and volume.
Passive microwave radiometers measure naturally emitted radiation from Earth and its atmosphere, enabling observation of clouds and precipitation through sensitivity to absorption and scattering processes. NASA expects these measurements to provide critical microphysical insight and spatial context to complement other FALCON sensors.
Commercial opportunities
The agency is encouraging a range of commercial partnership models, including data-buy arrangements, co-funded technology development followed by data-as-a-service procurement, and fully commercial mission demonstrations. Submissions should address mission architecture, organizational capabilities, programmatic approach, data rights considerations, and estimated cost and schedule in fiscal year 2026 dollars.
Responses are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on 7 May 2026.
The agency named Will McCarty as the primary point of contact for this project. They can be reached via email at [email protected]. More information is available at https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/7a20cdafb1dc48cea5271881e23eebbb/view.
