Taking ABB's global technology leadership into space
From satellite monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions, to helping predict shifts in global weather patterns, to searching for the existence of other planets via space telescopes, ABB technology is at the forefront of space science within global space agencies.
Web Story
6min
2024-10-08
The space economy is expected to be worth $1.8 trillion by 2035 as satellite and rocket-enabled technologies become increasingly prevalent, according to a new WEF report. It also promises to help tackle some of the world's greatest challenges, such as climate change.
Since the 1970s ABB has contributed to some of the world’s most innovative space science projects. Collaborations with global space agencies and other partners have placed ABB solutions on satellites, space telescopes and even on Mars.
For example, participation in the Canadian SCISAT mission and the Japanese GOSAT series of satellites, has placed ABB at the forefront of greenhouse gas monitoring from space for more than two decades. And weather agencies across the world base their predictions on ABB equipment flying onboard the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellites (NPP and JPSS).
LUNAR SOIL ANALYSIS
ABB has recently been awarded a contract by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for developing the concept for an Autonomous Lunar Exploration Infrared Spectrometer (ALExIS), a specialized infrared spectrometer for Canada’s Lunar Utility Rover. By adapting its proven Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR ) technology for the Moon’s harsh environment, ABB will help analyze the chemical composition of lunar soil to assess how local resources could sustain future human presence. This collaboration builds on ABB’s long-standing partnership with CSA and its heritage of delivering reliable, high-precision space instrumentation.
Greenhouse gas monitoring
Expertise housed in ABB’s measurement and analytics factory in Québec, Canada, has made the facility a world-leader in building ultra-sensitive optical sensors which can detect emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases from space. Established in 1973 and owned by ABB since 1999, the Québec facility is now one of the largest suppliers of this type of sensor. It has provided solutions tailored to the needs of the global space industry since its inception, collaborating with major space agencies to offer services such as weather forecasting, climate analysis, earth observation, space exploration and astronomy.
Methane monitoring from space
ABB’s Québec City factory
The GOSAT-2 satellite launched by Japan in 2018 and its 2009 predecessor GOSAT-1, use ABB Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer technology to monitor greenhouse gases. Their data is used by Japan’s National Institute for Environmental Study (NIES), to produce detailed maps highlighting greenhouse gas distribution across the globe. A major advantage of space-based gas analysis is that it enables unbiased reporting across jurisdictions – crucial to verifying climate commitments. ABB’s optical sensors offer 100 times higher resolution than comparable technologies in space, precisely locating emissions sources.
Japan’s GOSAT-2 satellite observes greenhouse gases
ABB-built optical sensors
In a milestone achievement for ABB’s space technology in 2025, four satellites equipped with its advanced sensors, built for three different customers, were launched together for the first time aboard a single mission. The launch took place from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket as part of the Transporter-14 mission.
Some features :
- The multispectral imaging system on EarthDaily Analytics gathers insights about Earth’s ecosystems and climate dynamics.
- The infrared sensor onboard Hydrosat’s satellite accurately calibrates surface temperature maps, offering vital data on soil moisture and water stress.
- The two satellites for GHGSat’s now 14-strong constellation tracks greenhouse gas emissions, helping industries reduce their carbon footprint by identifying and quantifying leaks from space.
Is there life on Mars?
Searching for evidence of life beyond earth remains a goal for many space science programs, including notable projects to which ABB has contributed.
James Webb Space Telescope
The NASA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was launched in 2021, aiming to explore the history of the universe more deeply than any previous space mission.
ABB Optical Ground Support Equipment (OGSE), developed by our engineers in Canada, played a vital role in the ability of the JWST to provide photographic evidence of distant galaxies. These images have been transmitted back to earth from JWST’s solar orbit 1.5million kilometers away, since July 2022.
Nancy Grace Roman Telescope
Our expertise in building space instruments has also been utilized on the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope (“Roman”), which is scheduled for launch in 2028. A primary mission of Roman is to discover planets with earth-like properties, capable of supporting life. Space imagery experts NüVü partnered with ABB to build camera equipment that will fly onboard the telescope, and help capture the first space-borne images of planets outside our solar system. Roman’s photographic evidence will help isolate the light of newly discovered planets in order to look for signatures of liquid water, the key ingredient for supporting life.
Binding Curiosity and Perseverance on Mars
Faced with a thin atmosphere, high levels of carbon dioxide, ultraviolet light, extreme temperatures and radiation, two NASA rovers are continuing their exploration of Mars, with the help of ABB. Our Ty-Rap™ cable ties used by NASA are made from a flourine-based plastic, ETFE, which has high resistance to the extreme conditions encountered on Mars.
Perseverance landed on Mars in February 2021, joining Curiosity, which landed in August 2012. Both use high-performance ABB Ty-Rap™ cable ties to fasten interior and exterior conduit and components and to secure research and lab equipment. Their predecessors, Spirit and Opportunity, also used Ty-Rap™ ties.
Powering NASA's transonic wind tunnel
NASA’s National Transonic Facility (NTF) wind tunnel, a critical asset in aerospace research, has secured at least another decade of operation thanks to a modernization program by ABB. The tunnel is used to optimize aircraft performance and fuel consumption by mimicking flight conditions at high altitudes and close to the speed of sound. The NTF can simulate a wider range of flying conditions than any other wind tunnel, enabling engineers to gain unique insight and hone aircraft designs. For this reason it has been used to test the Boeing 777, the Space Shuttle and its booster rocket. Originally equipped with a 101-megawatt drive supplied by ABB in 1997, the facility has now been upgraded with their state-of-the-art technology that replaces key components within the existing footprint.
ABB’s deep commitment to space science is reflected by the wide-ranging, pioneering projects highlighted here. Only through constant innovation and a willingness to explore the unknown can we endeavour to increase understanding of our planet and those beyond.
ABB’s crucial role in advancing meteorology and climate science
The Canadian-led HAWC mission
ABB has been awarded a contract by the Canadian Space Agency to carry out the conceptual development (Phase A) of the Thin Ice Clouds and Far InfraRed Emissions (TICFIRE) instrument. The Thin Ice Clouds and Far InfraRed Emissions (TICFIRE) instrument will be an integral component of the Canadian-led HAWC mission, and will support the scientific study of the upper atmosphere and advance global climate monitoring capabilities.
The European Space Agency’s Harmony mission
The European Space Agency’s Harmony mission will utilize ABB’s infrared instruments to enhance Earth observation, while ABB’s interferometer for the Himawari-10 satellite will improve weather forecasting and atmospheric monitoring. Both projects underscore our commitment to providing innovative solutions for better understanding and predicting climate and environmental changes.