Acquisition strategy and source selection for co-designing a new-development spacecraft

NASA´s Prometheus project was authorized to develop a revolutionary solar system exploration capability - a nuclear electric propulsion spacecraft $that would, during its initial flight, orbit three icy moons of Jupiter. An innovative acquisition strategy - including competitive industry studies, parallel government studies, customized rules of engagement, research, and benchmarking - was employed for project formulation. This strategy produced a new paradigm for space system development: co-design. The co-design paradigm was infused into a unique request for proposal process and a streamlined source evaluation board process, resulting in a timely and effective contractor selection. Following contractor selection, the mechanics of co-design were baselined, then modified through experience. The project co-design team successfully completed the project conceptual design and life cycle cost estimate on schedule, meeting or exceeding all requirements. This paper describes the study contract and down-select phases, provides a definition and description of co-design, and recommends future application of the paradigm for major systems developments