• FireSat, backed by Google, successfully launched its first satellite, marking a major step in wildfire detection.
  • The system will provide real-time, high-resolution fire tracking using infrared sensors.
  • Over 50 satellites will eventually monitor Earth’s surface every 20 minutes.

The first satellite of the FireSat constellation, a Google-backed wildfire detection network, successfully launched into orbit over the weekend, marking a major step in real-time fire monitoring.

Built by Muon Space, the satellite was carried into space on SpaceX’s Transporter 13 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 14.

FireSat is designed to provide a critical upgrade to wildfire tracking. Traditional methods rely on aerial photography from planes—expensive and infrequent—or repurposed satellite images with low resolution.

FireSat’s technology solves these issues by using a six-band multispectral infrared camera system, specifically tuned to detect wildfires from space.

When fully operational, the network of over 50 satellites will image nearly all of Earth’s surface every 20 minutes.

For now, FireSat’s initial phase includes just three satellites, with full operational capacity expected in 2026.

Even at this early stage, the system will revisit every location on Earth twice daily. With a resolution of five meters, FireSat’s imagery will provide near real-time updates to firefighters, improving response times and containment efforts.

The project is a collaboration between Muon Space and the Earth Fire Alliance, a nonprofit supported by Google, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Minderoo Foundation.

Google played a key role in developing the advanced infrared sensors used in FireSat, which will work alongside AI models to quickly detect heat signatures and alert authorities.

The long-term goal is to identify fires as small as five square meters—early enough to prevent them from becoming large-scale disasters.

While the first satellite is in orbit, dozens more are set to launch in the coming years, bringing FireSat closer to its mission of transforming wildfire detection worldwide.

Edited By Annette George