Google-backed satellites for wildfire detection launch as smoke chokes US, Canada
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. The satellites will begin providing wildfire detection capable of spotting even small fires in the United States, Australia, and Europe before the end of the year. The launch of the microsatellites aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on July 7, 2026 marks a t
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Google-backed satellites designed specifically for wildfire detection have launched into orbit as their first operational capability. These satellites use multispectral imaging to detect fires as small as five by five meters and can see through smoke and clouds, allowing them to spot smaller blazes that other satellites miss. The satellites will cover fire-prone regions on Earth at least twice per day, with plans to provide hourly imagery anywhere in the world by 2029 and imagery every 20 minutes once the full constellation launches in the early 2030s. Early adopter fire agencies in multiple countries will begin using the satellite data this year, with projections that the system could help prevent billions in fire damage costs and millions of tons of carbon emissions.
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