Satellites that currently provide information about wildfires globally deliver detailed images that are either not updated quickly enough or are of a lower quality. However, this could change in early 2025.
Google and its partners are set to invest in the launch of a series of small satellites called the FireSat constellation. These satellites will be able to find and monitor wildfires as small as a classroom within 20 minutes, no matter where they are in the world. The first satellite is set to launch on a SpaceX rocket in early 2025.
Google.org, the online search giant’s charitable arm, has committed to providing $13 million to fund the initiative, which is led by the Earth Fire Alliance, a nonprofit organization. The Moore Foundation will back up the initiative with additional funding.
The FireSat satellites deliver detailed, updated images of fires as small as 5×5 meters (16×16 feet) anywhere on Earth. This data can help firefighters tackle fires before they become destructive.
The satellites will feature special infrared sensors enhanced with Google AI. The network of satellites will quickly check any 5×5 meter area on Earth to see if there is a fire, taking into account nearby buildings and local weather conditions.
The network will give firefighters quick updates on where wildfires are, how big they are, and how strong they are, helping scientists to better model and understand wildfire behavior and patterns.
Google plans to launch 52 satellites by the end of the decade. Each satellite is expected to operate for about five years, meaning the company will need to send up to 10 more each year to keep the satellite network running.
So far in 2024, the National Interagency Fire Center has reported 36,920 fires burning in 7,301,739 acres across the United States in 2024, with California being particularly hard hit.
On August 24, 2024, the Arizona National Guard sent two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, with a team of 13 soldiers, to help fight wildfires wreaking havoc across California. At one point, 21 separate fires were burning in different parts of the US state.
