Scheduled for deployment in 2026, the first phase of FireSat will feature three Muon Halo satellites, each equipped with cutting-edge 6-band multispectral infrared (IR) sensors. These sensors are tailored for comprehensive fire detection and monitoring, offering near real-time data to authorities and on-the-ground teams, enhancing their decision-making capabilities. Once fully operational with over 50 satellites, FireSat will cover global hotspots every 20 minutes, with critical areas monitored every nine minutes.
"We are excited to introduce this transformative capability to fire-response communities," stated Brian Collins, Executive Director of Earth Fire Alliance. "We believe that high-fidelity data, equitably accessible on a global scale will help us more effectively reduce the negative impacts of wildfire, improve land management, and recognize beneficial fire practices that contribute to more resilient communities. FireSat will change the way we view wildfires across the planet."
The FireSat Constellation stands out with its advanced multispectral IR sensor, capable of distinguishing actual wildfires from false alarms and improving the precision of wildfire assessments. Operating in low-earth orbit (LEO), the constellation will achieve a coverage span of 1,500 km and pinpoint fires and hotspots as small as 5x5 meters.
"Muon is proud to have worked with our NGO partners and over 200 members of the research and fire communities to design a solution to the growing wildfire threat we face in North America and around the world," said Dan McCleese, Chief Scientist of Muon Space. "In partnership with Earth Fire Alliance, we are seeking to empower not only first responders but also communities and policymakers with the insights needed to combat the escalating threat of wildfires, building a more resilient future for generations to come."
Chris Van Arsdale, a key figure in the project's initiation from Google Research and member of the Earth Fire Alliance Board of Directors, noted, "This dataset will be a valuable foundation for Earth Science research. Together with the fire community, we are looking forward to applying modern machine learning techniques to scalably detect and track fires globally to make it usable for on-the-ground decision making."
The FireSat constellation will provide frequent, near-real time fire operational guidance to first responders and incident managers. Frequent and accurate fire perimeter maps improve safety for frontline responders while radiative power maps track a fire's intensity, direction, and rate of growth. This high resolution, near real-time data will provide critical information to protect life, property, and ecosystems.
"Earth Fire Alliance's FireSat Constellation represents a new and transformative capability in wildfire management, providing crucial early detection and nearly continuous perimeter and heat intensity monitoring to support first responders worldwide," said Kate Dargan Marquis, Senior Advisor for the Moore Foundation's Wildfire Resilience Initiative. "The Moore Foundation is committed to increasing wildfire resilience in North America and FireSat will help build that capability globally."
EFA is dedicated to leveraging advanced data-driven technologies for a shift from reactive firefighting to proactive wildfire management, addressing the urgent global wildfire crisis and its significant climate impacts.
Muon Space plans to deploy the FireSat pathfinder satellite in 2025, leading up to the first operational trio of spacecraft in 2026. FireSat will operate continuously over land, delivering diverse processed data products such as fire detection and perimeter maps, and radiative power in near real-time.
Related Links
Muon Space
Earth Fire Alliance
Forest and Wild Fires - News, Science and Technology
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