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Satellite constellation to scan Earth every 20 minutes to catch wildfires early

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Open-access content Jack Loughran

Mon 30 Jun 2025

Muon Space has released the first images from its upcoming satellite constellation that will be able to scan the Earth’s surface every 20 minutes to find incidences of wildfires.

The Google-backed project sent its first prototype ‘FireSat’ into orbit on 14 March aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-13 mission.

The satellite is equipped with a six-channel multispectral infrared (IR) instrument designed to be able to detect and monitor thermal activity happening on the Earth’s surface. The first images sent back were able to identify distinct vegetation, moisture and heat sources including urban heat islands, active airport runways and water temperature variations.

Muon Space said the images demonstrate the technology’s ability to distinguish between different thermal signatures across large areas.

Wildfires are becoming increasingly common due to hotter and drier climates around the world. But at the moment firefighters have to rely on satellite imagery that is either low resolution or only updated a few times a day. This makes it difficult to detect fires until they have grown significantly larger, meaning they are harder to combat.

“These first light images confirm that our IR sensors are operating as designed and collecting high-quality data,” said Dan McCleese, chief scientist of Muon Space. “Infrared imaging with this quality is one of the most technically demanding domains in remote sensing, and we’re proud to be among the few commercial players advancing this capability in orbit.”

FireSat is capable of multispectral imaging across the visible, near-infrared, short-, mid- and long-wave infrared bands simultaneously. The firm said the broad array of IR data is essential for detecting wildfires in their early stages, monitoring fire dynamics and tracking other thermal anomalies. 

While this technology demonstration has proven successful, a further 50 or so satellites will ultimately need to be in orbit to complete the constellation. It will operate in low-Earth orbit with an observation swath width of 1,500km and a nadir ground sample distance of 50m.

The instrument’s resolution, sensitivity and large dynamic range enable it to detect small cool fires 5x5 metres while also imaging without saturation for hot, intense fires.

Google, which has provided $13m (£9.5m) to the initiative led by Earth Fire Alliance, said it will be able to “detect and track wildfires the size of a classroom within 20 minutes”. While each point on Earth will be observed every 20 minutes, key wildfire-prone regions will benefit from more frequent observations. 

Muon Space is planning to launch the first block of three additional FireSat satellites in 2026, followed by a series of further launches that should see the constellation completed by 2030.

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