Canada is a contributing partner on the NASA led Atmosphere Observing System (AOS) and has opened the phase A solicitation for the Thin Ice Clouds and Far InfraRed Emissions (TICFIRE) instrument.
This request for proposals (RFP) follows an earlier funding announcement this year from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for the High-altitude Aerosols, Water vapour and Clouds (HAWC) mission, a satellite Canada is also contributing to the AOS.
The CSA said up to two contracts will be awarded as a result of this RFP. They added that that phase A is meant “to advance the technology of critical elements of the TICFIRE instrument and to develop viable system definition and project estimates.” It should be noted that the CSA states that “organizations interested in being considered for later phases of the TICFIRE instrument must bid on this Phase A RFP.”
TICFIRE will operate during the day and night and “will fly on a NASA satellite and is tasked with monitoring the formation of the important thin ice clouds in cold regions globally, and at higher layers of the atmosphere, and determining their impact on Earth’s energy balance.”
An optional “offeror’s conference” will be held on Microsoft Teams on March 27, 2025, beginning at 11:00 a.m EDT.
