SALMON-2 ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) Instruments

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) Advanced Explorations Systems (AES) Division anticipates making opportunities available for a limited number of instruments to be Ride Share Payloads on the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO).

Supported by their National Policy plan, the Republic of South Korea, through the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), has created a goal to robotically explore the moon and has established a lunar program called Korea Lunar Exploration Program (KLEP). KARI intends on launching KPLO followed by a lunar lander including a lunar surface rover, and another orbiter by 2020. The first mission would be the launch of the KPLO in December, 2018 on a technology demonstration and science mission into lunar orbit. KARI is in partnership with NASA to provide ride share for NASA sponsored payloads on the KPLO mission.

This solicitation calls for proposals for complete Principal Investigator led (PI-led) science investigations requiring spaceflight instrument development. Proposals should target scientific investigations that provide better understanding of the lunar resources that could be economically viable for the purposes of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). This opportunity solicits flight instruments that do not require significant technology development. When deployed on the KPLO mission, these spaceflight instruments will be used to conduct innovative, integrated, hypothesis- or question-driven investigations addressing the Strategic Knowledge Gaps (SKGs) associated with Lunar Volatiles. More information on NASA's exploration SKGs can be found at nasa.gov/exploration/library/skg.html.

This AO is open to any category of organizations or institutions, U.S or non-U.S. Specific categories of organizations and institutions that are welcome to respond include, but are not limited to, educational, industrial, and not-for-profit organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs), NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and other Government agencies. Refer to Section 4.2 of the SALMON-2 AO (http://go.nasa.gov/2aWF2yQ) for the full rules on participation policy.

A virtual Industry Day/Question and Answer session will be held on September 23, 2016, see the KPLO Homepage at www.nasa.gov/feature/kplo-ao for logistical information.

Mandatory Notices of Intent to propose take the form of a Step-1 pre-proposal and are due 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on September 30, 2016.

Proposals are due 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on October 28, 2016.