OUSD (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Sustainment & Logistics The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 3.5 of the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. OBJECTIVE: The goal for this effort is to design, develop, and demonstrate a reusable, rapid-turnaround test platform capable of evaluating the behavior, survivability, and environmental response of various equipment, supplies, and materials under actual spacelift conditions including launch, suborbital flight, microgravity exposure, and recovery. The platform should support high-fidelity data collection to enable empirical cargo qualification, with applications across defense, commercial, and academic logistics integration. DESCRIPTION: This effort will close a critical gap between theoretical Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based cargo prioritization tools and the physical behavior of various supplies, materials, and equipment payloads during launch, flight, and reentry. As the U.S. government and commercial space industry continue to evolve logistics and supply chain concepts for orbital and suborbital operations, a critical capability gap remains: there is no standard platform for empirically testing how various commercial and industrial goods behave under actual spacelift conditions. Current qualification methods rely heavily on ground-based simulations, which cannot fully replicate the combined effects of launch, microgravity, reentry, and recovery. Without real-world test data, cargo survivability and mission reliability remain uncertain particularly for next-generation logistics missions envisioned by the U.S. Space Force (USSF). This topic seeks to develop a reusable, rapidly deployable test platform that can deliver modular payloads into suborbital trajectories to simulate relevant spaceflight conditions. The system should support the collection of high-fidelity environmental and structural data throughout the flight profile, including acceleration, shock, temperature, and pressure variations. The envisioned testbed should be capable of: - Supporting payload exposure to microgravity and low-G environments; - Executing high-precision recovery at designated landing sites; - Enabling modular payload integration for various types of cargo and Classes of Supply; - Operating from multiple locations with minimal launch infrastructure; - Completing flight and recovery cycles within 48 hours to support high-tempo testing; - Supporting unpowered or passive recovery modes, as applicable; - Enabling repeatable, scalable test campaigns without requiring major platform refurbishment. This effort will enable the physical validation of cargo behavior, complementing digital modeling and AI-based prioritization tools. The resulting capability will inform packaging design, handling procedures, and cargo certification pathways for both U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and commercial logistics operations, contributing to mission readiness, energy efficiency, and reduced risk across the space supply chain. PHASE I: This topic is intended for technology proven ready to move directly into Phase II. Therefore, Phase I awards will not be made for this topic and Phase I proposals will not be accepted for this topic. The applicant is required to provide detail and documentation in the Direct to Phase II (D2P2) proposal which demonstrates accomplishment of a Phase I-type effort, including a feasibility study. This includes determining, insofar as possible, the scientific and technical merit and feasibility of ideas appearing to have commercial potential. It must have validated the product-mission fit between the proposed solution and a potential U.S. Air Force (USAF) and/or USSF stakeholder. The applicant should have defined a clear, immediately actionable plan with the proposed solution and the U.S. Department of the Air Force (DAF) customer and end-user. The feasibility study should have: 1. Clearly identified the potential stakeholders of the adapted solution for solving USAF and/or USSF need(s). 2. Described the pathway to integrating with DAF operations, to include how the applicant plans to accomplish core technology development, navigate applicable regulatory processes, and integrate with other relevant systems and/or processes. 3. Describe if and how the solution can be used by other DoD or Governmental customers. PHASE II: The goal of Phase II is to design, build, and demonstrate a flight-ready, reusable launch and recovery platform that can evaluate the physical behavior, survivability, and environmental response of various supplies, materials, and equipment during suborbital spacelift conditions. The platform should enable modular payload integration and collect high-resolution environmental data across the entire flight profile, including launch, microgravity exposure, and recovery. The effort will culminate in at least one end-to-end suborbital test flight, including launch, flight, landing, and data collection. The demonstration should reflect operationally relevant logistics conditions and support data collection to inform cargo certification, packaging design, and supply chain integration. Key objectives include: - Develop a modular test platform capable of reaching suborbital altitudes (120+ km) and supporting high-precision recovery; - Integrate instrumented payload bays with the ability to capture data on shock, vibration, temperature, acceleration, and structural effects; - Demonstrate the platform's ability to accommodate a range of commercial and DoD cargo types; - Validate rapid turnaround capability, supporting repeatable test campaigns with 48-hour or less recovery-to-relaunch timelines; - Generate empirical test data to support refinement of cargo preparation standards and inform operational logistics planning; - Enable integration with future supply chain validation frameworks, including Operational Energy for Space efforts. Expected deliverables include: - A reusable, operational suborbital logistics test platform; - A modular, secured payload bay adaptable to multiple cargo types; - Flight-qualified instrumentation kits for high-fidelity environmental data capture; - A comprehensive flight test report, including cargo survivability and readiness metrics; - Documentation to support future system integration and logistics planning use cases; - A transition plan outlining continued development and potential adoption within defense and commercial logistics sectors. This Phase II effort will produce a working prototype that fills a critical logistics testing gap. By enabling rapid, reusable suborbital test flights, it provides a practical method for validating material and cargo performance in realistic spacelift conditions. The capability supports USSF's objectives for Operational Energy, mission readiness, and energy-efficient logistics integration. Long-term, the platform can serve as a dual-use qualification tool for defense, aerospace, commercial, and academic applications. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The KARMEN platform will provide the DAF and broader DoD with a capability to empirically qualify cargo for spacelift missions through real-world suborbital testing. By collecting environmental and survivability data, the system will reduce the need for energy-intensive retests and prevent mission failures caused by unvalidated cargo. Key military transition opportunities include: - Empirical test qualification of supplies, materials, and equipment for space-based logistics and forward deployment; - Integration into Space Systems Command's (SSC) operational supply chain modernization and sustainment workflows; - Support for Operational Energy for Space by validating cargo handling, packaging, and deployment procedures that reduce propellant usage and increase mission efficiency; - Establishment of a certification framework for cargo readiness that supports distributed operations and improves logistics resilience. Commercial applications include: - The reusable KARMEN platform offers substantial commercial value as a dual-use testbed for companies preparing terrestrial goods for space environments. It can serve as a low-cost, high-cadence launch and recovery system for: - Aerospace, biotech, and defense firms seeking cargo qualification for orbital or suborbital delivery; - Commercial entities supporting space tourism, research missions, or lunar logistics, where preflight validation of cargo is critical; - STEM programs, academic research institutions, and early-stage startups looking to test materials, sensors, or systems in realistic launch conditions without the high costs of orbital missions. KARMEN will serve as a bridge between ground-based cargo modeling and real-world launch behavior, supporting both DoD operational readiness and commercial space innovation. It will establish a reusable, scalable model for validating cargo across multiple sectors, while reinforcing energy efficiency and reducing risk across the space supply chain. REFERENCES: 1. U.S. Space Force. (2023, March). Mission sustainment strategy. Office of the Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear (SF/S4O). https://www.dau.edu/sites/default/files/webform/documents/26816/2023_%20USSF%20Mission%20Sustainment%20Strategy%20efile_signatures.pdf. 2. United States Space Force. (2022, December). Space Doctrine Publication 4-0: Sustainment. Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM). https://www.starcom.spaceforce.mil/Portals/2/SDP%204-0%20Sustainment%20(Signed).pdf?ver=jFc_4BiAkDjJdc49LmESgg%3D%3D. KEYWORDS: Suborbital Logistics Testing; Supplies, Materials, and Equipment; Cargo Qualification Space Transport; Supply Chain Test Platform
