The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) awarded two contracts totalling over $5.4 million to ABB Inc. and Honeywell (Canada) for the TICFIRE (Thin Ice Clouds and Far InfraRed Emissions) instrument on the HAWC mission.
The HAWC mission is Canada’s contribution to the NASA led Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) Earth observation (EO) constellation. The TICFIRE instrument will be integrated into a NASA satellite.
Canada is also contributing the Aerosol Limb Imager (ALI) and the Spatial Heterodyne Observations of Water (SHOW) instruments which will be on a Canadian designed and built satellite called HAWCSat. SFL Missions Inc. was contracted early this year to develop concept designs for the satellite.
In a news release the CSA said the contracts “will advance concepts and critical technologies for the Thin Ice Clouds and Far InfraRed Emissions (TICFIRE) instrument,” and “support the development of comprehensive system designs and detailed cost assessments.”
The TICFIRE science mission is led by the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and the CSA states that the “mission brings together 14 Canadian universities, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the National Research Council Canada, and Canadian industry, highlighting the country’s strength in atmospheric science and space technology.”
In a separate news release, ABB said it “will support further technology development activities to be defined over the course of the project. Through its role in the initiative, ABB is helping to refine global climate monitoring capabilities.”
They added, “The TICFIRE infrared spectral imager will be designed to observe the upper atmosphere and advance scientific understanding of aerosol-cloud interactions – one of the most significant sources of uncertainty in climate modeling. The novel space instrument will allow scientists to measure how cold water vapor and its ice cloud variant block the incoming sun energy and the energy of the Earth attempting to escape into space – Earth’s main cooling mechanism. Such measurements can only be carried out by placing a sensor above the atmosphere and observing it in infrared colors – and approach that has not been possible with previous technologies.”
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions said, “When we invest in Canada’s space sector, we are investing in science excellence and the next generation of talent. The HAWC mission brings together world-class innovators and industry leaders from across the country. Through cutting-edge research and technology, Canada continues to position itself as a global leader in space innovation by investing in the knowledge and tools to protect our environment, strengthen our armed forces, and create high-paying jobs.”
Marc Corriveau, General Manager for ABB’s Measurement & Analytics division, Canada added in their press release, “We are proud to be a part of this important scientific mission that will advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate. ABB’s purpose is to enable a more sustainable and resource efficient future, and it is precisely through work like this we can contribute to a deeper understanding of our planet, helping to ensure long-term resilience.”