NASA has teamed up with Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) to provide safety and mission assurance support at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. The Safety and Mission Assurance Engineering Contract III (SMAEC) is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract that will begin on June 1 with a five-year base period, followed by two one-year options and possible extensions through November 2031, with a total maximum value of approximately $494 million.
Under this contract, SAIC will offer safety, reliability, and quality engineering, as well as quality and software assurance support for NASA programs and projects in deep space. These include the Orion spacecraft, Gateway lunar space station, and various human spaceflight programs like extravehicular activity. Additionally, SAIC will assist the Commercial Crew Program, which aims to transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station and low Earth orbit in collaboration with private companies.
The Gateway lunar space station is also part of the SMAEC’s scope. As a crucial component of NASA’s Artemis program, the Gateway will serve as a small space station in lunar orbit, supporting crewed exploration of the Moon’s surface and facilitating lunar missions. Services may be provided at various NASA centers, U.S. government facilities, contractor or subcontractor locations, or vendor facilities as specified in task orders or the statement of work.
