WASHINGTON - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) intends to award a sole-source contract to Triggs Tech LLC in Ellicott City, Md. for engineering support related to the EXoplanet Climate Infrared Telescope (EXCITE) mission, according to a notice from the NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC).
The work will support NASA award 18-APRA18-0075, titled "Probing Exoplanet Atmospheric Physics Using The EXoplanet Climate Infrared Telescope (EXCITE)." The contractor will provide engineering and technical support for laboratory instrumentation, detector integration, and mission operations associated with the telescope payload.
Performance will take place at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. NASA officials say the agency plans to issue the contract on a sole-source basis under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106-1(b)(1)(i).
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Exoplanet exploration
The work focuses heavily on detector electronics and infrared sensing systems used to study exoplanet atmospheres. Engineers will design and implement custom laboratory instrumentation for testing mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) infrared detector systems, which are widely used in astronomy and space-based infrared sensing. The contractor will also develop high-throughput, real-time analysis systems and offline data-reduction procedures for processing telescope data.
Additional responsibilities include integrating ancillary instrumentation and synchronizing equipment used in laboratory and field operations, as well as supporting testing, training, and laboratory operations.
Technical work will involve control and readout of infrared detector systems using ACADIA controllers and MACIE detector electronics, along with development of control systems for cryogenic detector platforms operating on suborbital vehicles such as stratospheric balloons and research aircraft.
Engineers will also support visible-light camera systems used for pointing feedback and stabilization of high-precision infrared observation platforms. The contract includes field deployment support for suborbital instrumentation, including operations at NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas, and Fort Sumner, N.M.
The period of performance is expected to run from 1 January 2026 through 31 December 2027. No contract value was disclosed in the notice.
