Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition: HelioSwarm Medium-Class Explorers Mission (Contract 80ARC027C0002)

This notice provides the Justification for Other Than Full and Open Competition (JOFOC) supporting the sole-source award for HelioSwarm (HS) Medium-Class Explorers (MIDEX) mission. This mission is a transformative mission designed to explore the three-dimensional, dynamic mechanisms controlling the physics of plasma turbulence, a ubiquitous process occurring throughout the heliosphere and the plasma universe at large. The required period of performance is November 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027.

NASA/ARC has awarded Contract 80ARC027C0002 to Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304(a)(1), “Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.” SwRI is the only responsible source capable of performing the requirements of this action because SwRI is the only responsible source that can continue to meet vital HS requirements and this procurement directly supports achieving mission objectives already selected and funded by NASA HQ.