TICFIRE infrared spectral imager concept image by ABB

ABB, a Swedish tech company, has won a contract from the Canadian Space Agency to carry out the conceptual development (Phase A) of the Thin Ice Clouds and Far InfraRed Emissions (TICFIRE) instrument. It will be a component of the High-altitude Aerosols, Water Vapor and Clouds (HAWC) satellite mission – a Canadian-led initiative focused on advancing climate science and environmental monitoring. ABB announced the contract win, Oct. 23.

The HAWC mission aims to deliver essential data to enhance forecasting of severe and extreme weather events, improve climate modeling, support air quality assessments, and aid in tracking natural disasters such as wildfires, volcanic eruptions and intense rainfall. The mission will enable informed decision-making across sectors vital to human wellbeing, including health, agriculture, water resources, and biodiversity.

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.

“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,” Marc Corriveau, General Manager, ABB’s Measurement & Analytics Division, Canada, said in a statement.