SAN FRANCISCO, CA — June 17, 2026 — Earth Fire Alliance (EFA) today announced a $26 million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund in support of the FireSat program — a satellite constellation that will generate an unprecedented, near real-time global dataset on wildfire and its effects on the planet and our communities. The grant, the largest single philanthropic commitment to wildfire detection to date, will fund the launch and operations of the first three operational FireSat satellites set to go into orbit in Q3 2026, and includes dedicated support for on-the-ground adoption and use of FireSat data by fire agencies, land managers, and communities in the Amazon Basin, one of the most fire-vulnerable regions on Earth.
The Bezos Earth Fund commitment brings EFA’s total funding to $69.2M to date, reflecting a growing coalition of mission-aligned supporters that also includes $15.5M in funding from Google.org, $12.5M from the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, and $15.2M from additional, anonymous, and individual supporters.
The FireSat protoflight, which launched in March 2025, is already collecting sample data and demonstrating the powerful impact FireSat will have on communities worldwide. By the end of 2026, FireSat’s first operational satellites will provide wildfire monitoring at least twice daily over the world’s more fire-prone geographies, including a near-term focus on the Amazon Basin.
By 2029, the growing FireSat constellation will detect fires as small as 5×5 meters—roughly the size of a standard shipping container—anywhere on the planet within 1 hour, enabling earlier intervention when necessary to prevent large, catastrophic fires. Once fully operational in the early 2030s with approximately 50 satellites, FireSat will monitor every point on Earth every 20 minutes or less. With this unprecedented capability to detect small fires in near real-time, there is vast potential to protect homes, communities, and biodiversity while also reducing carbon emissions from wildfires by an estimated 5–10% annually.
Early wildfire detection is among the highest-leverage interventions available. Developed for EFA by space systems company Muon Space, FireSat represents a fundamental leap in how the world detects, responds to, and understands wildfires. These advanced infrared satellites can detect small, cool fires within minutes of ignition and deliver high-resolution data to fire agencies and scientists in near real time.
“At the Bezos Earth Fund, we’re focused on supporting innovation that helps solve some of the hardest challenges in climate and nature, and breakthrough technology that addresses the challenges with uncontrolled wildfires is an important area that our funding can help move forward, faster,” said Tom Taylor, Bezos Earth Fund President and CEO. “Advancing detection and prevention technologies such as FireSat have incredible potential to better protect homes and communities, preserve forests and biodiversity, and reduce emissions, and we’re excited to be working together on these areas.”
EFA operates on a public-private-philanthropic partnership, or “P4” model, uniting commercial innovation, end-user co-development, and philanthropic and government investment around a shared goal: collecting and delivering critical wildfire data to every corner of the globe. Radical collaboration across sectors is one of the nonprofit’s core operating principles and was fundamental to the development of FireSat.
“The Bezos Earth Fund’s commitment to Earth Fire Alliance and the FireSat program sends an unmistakable signal,” said EFA Executive Director Brian Collins. “With the support of global, high-impact organizations like Bezos Earth Fund—alongside Google.org, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, other funders, and the wildfire community that helped shape this technology—Earth Fire Alliance and FireSat will bring critical new tools to firefighters, scientists, and policymakers in their efforts to strengthen wildfire resilience. The combined expertise, resources, and credibility of EFA’s growing, global coalition helps us not only build and launch innovative technology but also ensures our mission doesn’t end in orbit, and that this unprecedented data will reach the firefighters, land managers, and communities who need it most.”
Fire agencies and scientific organizations worldwide helped shape FireSat’s design and have already committed to use its data, partnering with EFA through its Early Adopter program. Their participation reflects the urgent, practical demand for faster, more reliable fire data on the ground. In addition to agencies and organizations in the Amazon region, FireSat Early Adopters include leading fire organizations in California, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, Africa, Australia, and Portugal.
As the FireSat constellation grows, EFA is building additional programs to ensure its data is globally accessible and actionable. FireConnect will work with communities, firefighters, land managers, and researchers globally to connect wildfire data to on-the-ground decision-making. FireImpact will translate FireSat’s global dataset and EFA’s growing partner network into actionable scientific knowledge, informing fire management strategies that minimize devastating impacts while preserving fire’s essential role in healthy ecosystems.
About Earth Fire Alliance
Earth Fire Alliance (EFA) is a global nonprofit coalition building the technological infrastructure the world needs to detect, monitor, and understand fire — and delivering critical data to the firefighters, scientists, and communities who need it most. EFA’s flagship program, FireSat, is the first satellite constellation designed specifically to address the wildfire challenge: generating an unprecedented dataset on fire and its effects on people and the planet. EFA partners with operational agencies, scientists, and technologists across continents to make fire data globally accessible, actionable, and available for the public good.
EFA Media Contact: Kristin Q. Cody, [email protected]
About the Bezos Earth Fund
The Bezos Earth Fund, guided by the belief that Earth is the best planet in this solar system, works to protect and restore the natural world. Working with partners around the globe, we are developing innovative solutions to ensure the planet remains a place we can — and want to — live on. Based in the United States, the organization is led by CEO Tom Taylor, under the direction of Chairman Jeff Bezos and Vice Chair Lauren Sánchez Bezos. To learn more, visit: bezosearthfund.org