ABB delivers the main component for the world's first satellite built to measure greenhouse gases

    QUEBEC CITY, June 26 /CNW Telbec/ - ABB, the leading power and automation
technology group, is proud to announce it has successfully delivered a spatial
interferometer which is the main component on the new Japanese satellite GOSAT
(Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite). The satellite, which will be launched
in 2008 by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will enable Japanese
scientists to study and measure greenhouse gases in support of the Kyoto
protocol made it mandatory for developed nations to reduce greenhouse-gas
emissions between 2008 and 2012.
    The $10 million contract was awarded to ABB Analytical Business Unit in
Quebec in August 2005 by NEC TOSHIBA Space Systems, the primary mission
instrument supplier to Japan's Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT)
program.
    "We are delighted that one of our core applications, greenhouse gas
measurements, will play an essential role in this system. In addition, I am
very proud of the project team which has designed one of the most efficient
interferometers in space history, all within a tight timeframe," says    
Marc-André Soucy, Manager of ABB's Remote Sensing Industry.
    The 15-person team included mechanical, electrical and software engineers
(data processing), physicians, opticians and technicians. The new instrument
incorporates some of the features of an ABB-built payload currently in
operation on the satellite ACE/SciSat-1 that was developed for the Canadian
Space Agency.
    The Michelson interferometer of the Fourier Transform Spectrometer is a
system that will collect and transmit global distribution in carbon dioxide
and methane density - every 3 days cycle - precise atmospheric measurements
from 666 kilometers above the earth. The measurements will be used to chart
and evaluate the atmosphere's carbon dioxide and methane levels. GOSAT's
launch is expected to be the first mission to measure global CO2 levels.
    ABB's measuring process takes advantage of the "spectral signature" of
the molecules that carbon dioxide and other gases emit, making them easy to
identify and measure with infrared technology. The ABB spectrometer uses
infrared technology to "read" the signature and establish the density of the
molecules. By taking the readings at different orbital points - latitude,
longitude and altitude - profiles are created to establish the concentration
level of each gas in the atmosphere.
    GOSAT is also important because the number of effective ground-based
carbon dioxide observation stations has thus far been limited, mainly because
they are poorly distributed throughout the world. "GOSAT will be the first
observatory that will steadily and globally monitor greenhouse gases at
56,000 observation points every 3 days." says Takashi Hamazaki, Project
Manager, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), in Japan. "Scientists will
be able to combine global observation data sent from space with data already
being gathered on land."

    ABB Analytical Business Unit, located in Quebec City, designs,
manufactures and markets high-performance FT Mid-IR/Near-IR analytical system
solutions and spectrometers for Petroleum, Chemical, Life Science, and Remote
Sensing/Aerospace markets. The company also markets analyzers for hydrogen and
inclusion measurement in liquid aluminum. More information is available at
www.abb.com/analytical.
    ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that
enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while
lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around
100 countries and employs about 109,000 people. In Canada, (www.abb.ca), ABB
employs over 1,800 people in 24 locations from coast to coast.

For further information:

For further information: Marc-André Soucy, Manager, Remote Sensing
Industry, Analytical Business Unit, ABB Inc., (418) 877-2944, ext. 343,
marc-andre.a.soucy@ca.abb.com; Nancy Rochette, Marketing Communications
Specialist, Analytical Business Unit, ABB Inc., (418) 877-2944, ext. 356,
nancy.c.rochette@ca.abb.com; http://www.abb.com/analytical; Marie Tremblay,
Axiome, Communication Consultants, (418) 694-0444, mtremblay@goaxiome.com