CLEVELAND - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland has issued a request for information (RFI) to assess industry capabilities and interest in developing advanced special test equipment (STE), including large vacuum chambers, thermal shrouds, and thermal conditioning units for space environment simulation.
Chamber specs
At the core of the request are two large vacuum chambers designed to accommodate test sections approximately 10 feet tall, 11 feet wide, and 20 feet long, enclosed within thermal shrouds. These chambers must achieve ultra-high vacuum levels of 5 x 10^-8 Torr with leak rates of 5 x 10^-9 standard atmosphere cubic centimeters per second or better. The designs call for fully welded, non-sectional vessels capable of supporting combined loads from test articles weighing about 4,500 kilograms and associated thermal hardware, while operating over a temperature range from 77 Kelvin to 340 Kelvin.
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NASA is also considering chamber configurations installed in recessed floor pits to enable roll-in test article access without cranes or forklifts, along with alternative access solutions such as movable doors or removable end caps. The agency is requesting input on innovative door mechanisms and facility layouts that maintain accessibility while meeting vacuum integrity requirements.
Thermal shrouds
Thermal shrouds for these larger chambers must be capable of rejecting heat loads of up to 100 kilowatts using liquid nitrogen cooling, with high-emissivity internal coatings and multilayer insulation to manage radiative heat transfer. The agency is seeking industry input on liquid nitrogen flow rates, piping design, control methods, and instrumentation strategies, including thermocouple placement.
In addition, NASA outlined requirements for three smaller, modular vacuum chambers with internal dimensions of approximately 9 by 9 by 18 feet. These systems would support temperatures ranging from 77 Kelvin to 425 Kelvin and include modular construction for future expansion. Associated thermal shrouds must handle heat loads from 1 to 10 kilowatts and support test articles up to 1,000 kilograms.
The RFI also includes thermal conditioning units capable of operating from 90 Kelvin to 425 Kelvin, providing at least 10 kilowatts each of heating and cooling capacity using nitrogen as the working fluid. NASA cited systems comparable to the Dynavac TCU400 through TCU1500 and is requesting information on alternative solutions with similar or improved performance.
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All vacuum vessels and associated systems must comply with applicable sections of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, including requirements for welding, inspection, and certification. NASA noted that alternative materials may be considered if their suitability is demonstrated to agency standards.
The RFI is intended for planning purposes and seeks feedback on the feasibility, design approaches, rough-order-of-magnitude (ROM) costs, and lead times for a range of thermal-vacuum test systems. NASA is also evaluating potential industry collaboration opportunities for these systems, which are expected to support testing involving lunar simulant materials.
Responses to the RFI are due by 27 April 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern. The agency named Paige Foreman as the primary point of contact for this inquiry. They can be reached via email at [email protected]. More information is available at https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/0ee4542e68184e5b9875ccd0cbbae0b0/view.
