## Satellite Ground Station Services for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) Request For Information (RFI) Questions

These are a series of questions in support of the USGS Request For
Information (RFI) #08HQ25-NoSolicitation on "Satellite Ground Station
Services for the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM)". The RFI can be
found at www.fedbizopps.gov. The purpose of the RFI is to obtain
information about ground station network services in support of the
Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). The LDCM Observatory launch is
currently targeted for mid-2011, with a mission design life of five
years.

The results from this RFI will be used to help develop the LDCM Ground
Network (LGN) configuration. The LGN stations will provide a variety of
services to the LDCM, including S-Band services for command uplink and
telemetry downlink, X-Band services for science mission data reception,
network interfaces to connect to the NASA secure network for transfer of
telemetry and commands, and network interfaces to transfer wideband
science mission data back to the USGS/EROS at a data rate sufficient to
meet latency requirements. LDCM will use the CCSDS File Delivery
Protocol (CFDP), class 1, for file-based data transfer from the
observatory to LGN stations.

Each LGN station will be required to receive one or two X-Band downlink
data channels per pass, in addition to providing simultaneous S-Band
telemetry and command services. In order to meet the required X-Band
downlink data rates, it is anticipated that a combination of frequency
and/or polarization diversity may be used to downlink multiple
independent channels of data. Current detailed technical information on
the interface to the observatory can be found at
<http://ldcm.nasa.gov/library.html> , and current detailed information
on the LGN and the LDCM Ground Network Element (GNE) can be found at
<http://www.usgs.gov/contracts/acq_opp/EROS_index.html> .

There are several types and levels of service currently under
consideration. The first type would be for combined S- and X-Band
services (including telemetry and command network transfers). Second
would be for S-Band services only (including telemetry and command
network transfers). Third would be for network transfer of wideband
science mission data. The type of service should be further categorized
for two levels of service: (1) Four to six passes per day; and (2) 10-11
passes per day. Respondents should also include anticipated development
or upgrades of ground station capabilities to meet the LDCM requirements
and in support of LDCM prelaunch testing, simulation, and
launch-readiness activities. Optionally, respondents are invited to
provide responses for all areas or to individual areas of capability.

Respondents are requested to address the following series of questions.

1.  What stations comprise your network (where are they located and what
    are their capabilities)?

2.  How would you/how do you handle contingency contacts?

3.  Can you provide selectable levels of service at each station (i.e.
    -- some contacts just X- or S-Band, and some both S-/X-Band)?

4.  **~~The LDCM may potentially utilize simultaneous dual polarization,
    X-Band data downlinks to achieve the expected downlink data rate for
    LGN contacts. The total data rate is expected to approach 300
    Mbits/sec per polarization channel for a total of 600 Mbits/sec.
    Could your stations provide the capability to support simultaneous
    dual polarization X-Band downlinks? The required axial ratio to
    support this downlink approach is specified as 1.5 dB or better, and
    the specified G/T is 31 dB/K at 5° elevation or higher.~~**

> **LDCM will use a single channel X-Band downlink with a symbol rate of
> approximately 440 Megabits/sec with rate-7/8 Low Density Parity Check
> (LDPC) forward error correction (FEC) on the entire downlink
> datastream. In lieu of multiple downlink channels, realtime and
> playback data (from the solid-state recorder) may be multiplexed
> together in the single downlink datastream. The specified G/T is 31
> dB/K at 5° elevation or higher. Are you able to provide the capability
> to perform the LDPC FEC ?**

5.  How would you return wideband science mission data to USGS/EROS (to
    meet our latency requirements)? Our current allocated latency
    requirement for data delivery (ground station reception to USGS/EROS
    processing facility delivery) is three hours. **~~We estimate our
    data volume to be a maximum of 50 GBytes per pass.~~**

> **We estimate our data volume to be a maximum of 30 GBytes per pass,
> after removal of the LDPC FEC.**

6.  What is your capability for supporting Class 1 CFDP, as described in
    CCSDS 727.0-B-3 File delivery Protocol Blue Book
    (http://public.ccsds.org/publications/archive/727x0b4.pdf)? If
    development is required to implement Class 1 CFDP, how long would it
    take to make this capability operational?

7.  What is your capability for supporting Low Density Parity Check
    (LDPC) on the X band science data downlink channels, as described in
    NASA Goddard Technical Standard GSFC-STD-9100
    (<http://standards.gsfc.nasa.gov/reviews/gsfc-std-9100/gsfc-std-9100.doc>)?
    If development is required to implement LDPC, when could this
    capability be operational?

8.  Which of the technical requirements in the referenced Ground Network
    Element (GNE) Requirements Document do you think could not be met
    (on a station-by-station basis in your network)?

9.  What is the ground station availability that you may be able to
    provide? If it\'s less than the requirements outlined above, how
    would you address the requirement?

10. What missions is your company currently supporting?

11. What is your current capture success ratio (i.e. -- how many passes
    have you missed or had corrupt data on) measured on a monthly and
    annual basis?

12. How would you connect to the LDCM Mission Operations Center(s)? Does
    your site currently have connectivity to the NISN/NASCOM IOnet? If
    not, can this capability be added and when could it be operational?

13. What is the station interface for remotely reporting station status
    and control?

14. Can you accept ephemeris in Improved Inter-Range Vector (IIRV)
    format? If not, what formats do you accept for ephemeris?

15. What is your interface for scheduling? Can you provide an
    Application Programming Interface (API) and/or examples of tour
    preferred schedule format?

**[DISCLAIMER]{.underline}**: This RFI is issued solely for information
and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. In
accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)15.202(e), responses
to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government
to form a binding contract. Respondents are solely responsible for all
expenses associated with responding to this RFI. Respondents needing
confidential treatment for any proprietary information they furnish must
comply with the USGS's confidential treatment regulations, 17 C.F.R.
200.83 (Confidential treatment procedures under the Freedom of
Information Act). Responses to this RFI will not be returned.
Respondents will not be notified of the result of the review.