Newly Launched Google-Backed Satellite 'FireSat' Can Track Wildfires From Space Just Within 20 Minutes
Disaster forecasting technology has gone several steps ahead in the last few decades. However, much more progress is on the horizon. Recently, a major innovation has brought space in the forecasting business, stated The Verge.
In 2025, a prototype satellite was sent to space to test whether it can report on wildfires on Earth. Scientists claim that the satellite is now communicating with its developers on Earth. The prototype is set to be part of a collection of around 50 satellites that will detect wildfires. This detection will be communicated to the authorities so that people in the affected area can be helped. The collection will be called FireSat.
The first satellite was launched on 14 March from Vandenberg Space Force Base. If everything moves forward according to the plan, then three more satellites will be launched in 2026. FireSat is a collaboration between a nonprofit organization, Earth Fire Alliance, and a startup named Muon Space. The latter makes and operates satellite networks. "The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles earlier this year underscore the urgent need for real-time, high-fidelity infrared data to protect lives, communities, ecosystems, and economies," Brian Collins, executive director of the Earth-Fire Alliance, said. Google.org has also invested in the initiative, providing $13 million to the whole project. FireSat has also received technical support from the Google Research Team.
The technology in FireSat will allow the constellation of satellites to detect fires as small as 5x5 meters. This is a big development over past satellites, which had only been able to locate fires when they had become two to three acres in size. Scientists are hopeful that these satellites will allow experts to have an earlier warning about incoming wildfires. Satellites have played a massive role in spotting wildfires in remote and rural areas. Researchers believe that advanced wildfire-detecting technology is the need of the hour, as dry conditions have been causing more wildfires than ever before in places like California.
Old satellites take hours to provide updates on wildfires, stated Google. "After we evacuated, we constantly stared at satellite imagery to see whether the fire had crossed the road because if it had, we knew our community would burn," shared Juliet Rothenberg, Product Director of Climate AI efforts at Google Research. FireSat satellites will provide active updates every 20 minutes, making it easier for authorities and civilians to plan their future course, stated The Verge.
Another limitation with past satellites is the images they produce for detections. "Some satellites today take a picture about every five minutes, but they’re coarse,” Co-founder Chris Van Arsdale from Moore Foundation (Part of Earth-Fire alliance) explained, Google stated. "You’re lucky if you can see the city of San Francisco in the image. You’re certainly not going to see where a fire is until it’s a few acres in size." In the new collection, this issue has also been resolved with the help of sensors, which will provide more accurate details. Muon Space claims that the satellites will have the ability to check every point on Earth twice in one day, and will pay special attention to "key wildfire-prone regions,” stated The Verge. Scientists are hoping that FireSat will become operational in 2030.