What is FireSat, the Google-backed satellite put into orbit by Elon Musk’s SpaceX? | Technology News
A Google-backed initiative aimed at using satellites to detect and prevent wildfires before they escalate, has moved one step closer to its goal.
The FireSat project’s first satellite was successfully placed into low Earth orbit (LEO) last week and has officially made contact with engineers back at base. “This satellite is the first of more than 50 in a first-of-its-kind constellation designed to use AI to detect and track wildfires as small as a classroom (roughly 5×5 meters),” read a blog post published by Google on Monday, March 17.
The FireSat satellite was launched on March 14 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US, aboard Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s Transporter-13 mission. Taking to X, Google CEO Sundar Pichai thanked SpaceX “for the ride” and posted an image of the FireSat satellite on the launch pad prior to lift-off.
We have liftoff! After a successful launch this weekend, the first FireSat satellite is now orbiting Earth 🛰️ It’s the first of a 50+ satellite constellation that will help detect + track wildfires as small as 5×5 meters, using AI. Huge thanks to partners @MuonSpace @EarthFireAll… pic.twitter.com/QlaNHXOssD
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) March 17, 2025
Rising temperatures due to climate change is expected to worsen droughts and spark potentially devastating wildfires in many parts of the world. Earlier this year, raging forest fires in southern California caused the deaths of at least 29 people and resulted in economic loss of an estimated $250 billion, according to a report by Los Angeles Times.
In the face of such intense blazes, disaster management authorities are increasingly looking to newer technology and tools for early detection and mitigation of wildfires.
Here’s what we know about the FireSat satellite project supported by Google.
What is FireSat?
The first FireSat satellite launched into space was reportedly built by Muon Space, a California-based aerospace startup that designs and operates satellites. The satellite carries six-band multispectral infrared cameras which are specially tuned to detect wildfires from a long distance.
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The first phase of FireSat involves launching three satellites into space and making them operational by next year. With this three-satellite LEO constellation, FireSat is looking to initially revisit every point on the globe twice per day.
Eventually, FireSat aims to have an LEO constellation comprising 50 satellites that can provide high-resolution imagery of the Earth every 20 minutes. Google claimed that this will help emergency responders catch wildfires before they become destructive.
Who is behind the FireSat project?
FireSat is a collaborative initiative with several partners including Google Research, Muon Space, Earth Fire Alliance, Moore Foundation, wildfire authorities and others.
The project has been funded by Google.org, which has provided $13 million to launch the FireSat constellation of satellites, along with Moore Foundation. The tech giant’s research team is also involved in developing the AI technology to spot wildfires and monitor their intensity from space.
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Will FireSat be useful in preventing wildfires?
Several authorities already rely on images captured by satellites to track wildfires. However, the satellite imagery is likely to be low-resolution and only updated a few times per day.
Aerial photography via airplanes similarly faces a similar challenge of low-quality images. They also cannot be updated frequently as aerial photography services can be quite expensive.
The FireSat constellation looks to address both problems by producing five-metre resolution imagery and real-time updates on a wildfire’s scope and intensity.
“There is a significant gap between the data we have available today and what we could have with better satellite coverage. So that’s why Google Research, we teamed up with a bunch of folks, scientists, and leaders in the fire community to develop a new satellite constellation,” Christopher Van Arsdale, lead researcher at Google Research’s Climate and Energy group and a board member for Earth Fire Alliance, was quoted as saying by The Verge.
