a.i. solutions awarded $217 million SSC contract

Space Systems Command has awarded a.i. solutions a $217 million firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-award-fee, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract for satellite support services, according to a contract award announcement published by the Defense Department May 27.

The contract has a five-year base period with two one-year options available for a total performance period of seven years, according to a.i. solutions Vice President of Business Development Marisa Achée.

The customer is Space Systems Command’s Innovation and Prototyping Delta and work will consist of support for the full life cycle of satellite operations, Achée wrote to Inside Defense.

Along with mission readiness exercises, launch and early orbit phase activities and on-orbit operations, a.i. solutions’s services include “mission planning, orbit analysis and prediction, spacecraft orbital safety assessments, satellite contact scheduling and execution, and spacecraft state of health monitoring,” Achée added. “We will also perform special studies for various tasks requiring on-demand technical expertise and innovative approaches to challenging space operational problems.”

Four proposals were received through a competitive acquisition process, according to the award notice, and Achée attributed a.i. solutions’ successful bid to “our approach to concept development and pre-launch activities” that will support “consecutive operations for multiple missions. This, plus our staffing methodology, demonstrated a low level of risk to the customer’s mission.”

The award is a.i. solutions’ first prime contract with the Space Force, Achée noted, adding: “We have successfully supported space missions for over 25 years, and we are excited to continue in our commitment to deliver satellite operations expertise and proven innovation technologies while ensuring uninterrupted, ongoing mission support.”

The contract is scheduled to be completed by May 2029 and work will be performed at Kirtland Air Force Base, NM and Schriever Space Force Base, CO, according to the contract award announcement.