The HAWC mission aims to improve predictions for severe weather, advance climate modeling, and support assessments related to air quality and disasters including wildfires, volcanic eruptions and heavy rainfall. Data from the mission will guide decision-making in critical areas such as agriculture, health, water, and biodiversity.
TICFIRE will be an infrared spectral imager focused on the upper atmosphere, providing insights into aerosol-cloud interactions that remain a key uncertainty in current climate models. Using infrared observations above the atmosphere, TICFIRE will help quantify how cold water vapor and ice clouds absorb and reflect solar and terrestrial energy, a vital component of Earth's cooling process. This capability was not feasible with older sensor technologies.
"We are proud to be a part of this important scientific mission that will advance our understanding of the Earth's climate," said Marc Corriveau, General Manager for ABB's Measurement and Analytics division, Canada. "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."
The HAWC mission is expected to contribute to NASA's planned international Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) mission, scheduled for launch in 2031, with an orbit optimized for Arctic observations.
This award further establishes ABB's leadership in satellite optics, with over 40 optical instruments currently monitoring the Earth from orbit. ABB's Quebec City engineering team of 220 specializes in space technology. ABB previously partnered with the Canadian Space Agency for the MOPITT atmospheric sensor, launched in 1999, which was the first to provide global carbon monoxide mapping.
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