First three FireSat wildfire detection satellites reach orbit

In short: Three operational FireSat satellites backed by Google launched into orbit and are expected to start helping detect small wildfires later this year.

What happened

Three microsatellites (small satellites) from the FireSat program launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 7, 2026. This is the first operational set for FireSat, a network of satellites designed specifically to spot wildfires.

The satellites are managed by the nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance and were built by Muon Space. After about three months of testing, they are expected to begin sending data to fire agencies. The system is meant to cover every fire-prone region on Earth at least twice per day.

FireSat uses multispectral imaging, which means it looks at the Earth in several types of light, not just what our eyes see (like using different filters on a camera). This helps it see through smoke and clouds and detect fires as small as 5 by 5 meters, about 16 by 16 feet. A earlier FireSat test satellite launched in March 2025 collected more than one million images and showed it could spot low-intensity fires that other satellites did not catch.

Google has provided more than $15 million to support the initial rollout. The Bezos Earth Fund has also backed the project, including a $26 million commitment.

Why it matters

Spotting a small fire early can make it easier to control before it spreads, especially during severe fire seasons. FireSat data will start being used by early adopter groups, including fire agencies in California, Colorado, Australia, and Portugal. Over time, the program aims to update images hourly by 2029, and eventually as often as every 20 minutes in the early 2030s, once more than 50 satellites are in orbit.

Source: Arstechnica