RFI / Sources Sought Notice for FY25 NewAthena WFI ASIC Design and Testing Services
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is hereby soliciting information from potential sources for design and engineering services in support of developing the Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC; termed the Versatile Readout based on Integrated Trapezoidal Analog Shapers (VERITAS)) as a NASA contribution to the European Space Agency (ESA) spacecraft titled (NewAthena). The VERITAS is a critical component of the Wide Field Imager (WFI), an instrument under development by the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Garching, Germany.
The NewAthena spacecraft is intended to combine a large X-ray telescope with state-of-the-art scientific instruments to address key questions in astrophysics. The NewAthena spacecraft consists of several critical components, one of which is the Science Instrument Module (SIM). The SIM comprises two science instruments (WFI and X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU)), the Science Instrument Bench, and supporting hardware.
The WFI is to be a silicon depleted p-channel field effect transistor (DEPFET) active pixel sensor camera. It will have a large field of view, high count-rate capability and moderate resolution spectroscopic capability. MPE, and further ESA and NASA, requires technical support in developing the VERITAS, which is to be a highly specialized multi-channel readout ASIC for DEPFET arrays. The main chip application is the readout of the DEPFET pixel arrays of the WFI for the spacecraft. MPE is responsible to physically manufacture, produce, and test the VERITAS.
NASA GSFC is seeking capability statements from all interested parties, including all socioeconomic categories of Small Businesses and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU)/Minority Institutions (MI) for the purposes of determining the appropriate level of competition and/or small business subcontracting goals for the FY25 NewAthena WFI ASIC Design and Testing Services procurement. The Government reserves the right to consider a Small, 8(a), Women-owned (WOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran (SD-VOSB), Economically Disadvantaged Women-owned Small Business (EDWOSB) or HUBZone business set-aside based on responses received.
No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on SAM.gov. Interested firms are responsible for monitoring this website for the release of any solicitation or synopsis.
Vendors having the capabilities necessary to meet or exceed the stated requirements are invited to submit appropriate documentation, literature, brochures, and references.
All responses shall be submitted electronically via email to Chris Jenkins at christopher.l.jenkins@nasa.gov and Kelly Collins at kelly.collins@nasa.gov no later than January 19, 2026, 12:00 PM EST. Please reference FY25 NewAthena WFI ASIC Design and Testing Services in any response.
This synopsis is for information and planning purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation.
Respondents deemed fully qualified will be considered in any resultant solicitation for the requirement.
