California · Canada · Google · U.S. · SpaceX · Ars Technica
Google-backed satellites for wildfire detection launch as smoke chokes US, Canada
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As smoke from hundreds of burning wildfires spread across Canada and the United States, the first three operational satellites in the Google-backed FireSat program successfully launched into orbit.
Key facts
- The launch of the microsatellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 7, 2026 marks a transition to “initial operational capability” for the FireSat
- The Canadian Wildland Fire Information System showed nearly 900 active wildfires in Canada as of July 17, with the country having experienced more than 3,600 wildfires to date that burned more
- The satellites were designed by California-based satellite manufacturer Muon Space and have received over $15 million from Google to support initial deployment
- Such imagery would eventually become available every 20 minutes once the full constellation of more than 50 satellites is launched by the early 2030s
Summary
The launch of the microsatellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 7, 2026 marks a transition to “initial operational capability” for the FireSat constellation managed by the nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance. FireSat represents the first satellite constellation purpose-built for detecting wildfires, including spotting smaller fires that other satellites may miss. Each satellite is equipped with multispectral imaging that can peer through smoke and clouds and detect fires as small as five by five meters—about 16 by 16 feet. The “early adopter” organizations that will start using FireSat data this year include fire agencies in California, Colorado, Australia, and Portugal.