17 March 2025

FireSat Protoflight Commences, Ushering in a New Era of Wildfire Monitoring & Detection

Earth Fire Alliance & Muon Space announce the on-orbit demonstration for the first-of-its-kind satellite constellation built specifically to address the global wildfire challenge.

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San Francisco, California, 17 March 2025: Today, Earth Fire Alliance, the global nonprofit coalition committed to delivering transformative data and insights from all wildfires on Earth, announced in partnership with Muon Space that the FireSat protoflight spacecraft has successfully launched and established communications with Muon Mission Operations. This marks a significant milestone for Earth Fire Alliance and its partners in their shared goal to provide high-fidelity detection, monitoring, and understanding of wildfires globally.

The protoflight FireSat launched March 14 via SpaceX’s Transporter-13 rideshare mission. FireSat is a first-of-its kind satellite constellation purpose-built to address the global wildfire challenge and to help mitigate the effects of intense, fast-moving, disaster fires. FireSat is the culmination of the efforts of hundreds of first responders and scientists with leadership and support from Google, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, and others.

"Earth Fire Alliance is honored to serve the global fire response community, technical and scientific partners, and philanthropic supporters as the champion to bring the FireSat constellation and its innovation in wildfire detection and response into reality,” said Brian Collins, Executive Director of the Alliance. “The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles earlier this year underscore the urgent need for real-time, high-fidelity infrared data to protect lives, communities, ecosystems, and economies. The launch of the FireSat protoflight is a critical step toward a future in which wildfires are better understood, monitored, and mitigated."

This protoflight mission paves the way for the operational FireSat constellation, which at full capability will offer a near real-time global revisit rate of 20 minutes for every wildfire on Earth. The on-orbit demonstration will validate the performance of the FireSat system architecture, including its advanced, multispectral Earth observation payload and data delivery infrastructure.

“The FireSat mission exemplifies the incredible progress the space industry has made in developing specialized, high-performance systems to tackle urgent global challenges,” said Jonny Dyer, CEO of Muon Space. “Over the past decade, advancements in Earth observation and space technology have made it possible to build sophisticated, purpose-built constellations like FireSat. By integrating cutting-edge remote sensing capabilities, AI-driven analytics, and deep wildfire expertise, FireSat is redefining how we leverage space-based technology to provide critical, real-time insights in the fight against extreme wildfires.”

Earth Fire Alliance has formed an Early Adopter program of fire agencies, fire scientists, and fire tech companies around the world to help refine FireSat data products and define data delivery mechanisms. The Alliance works with participating fire agencies to learn their workflows, then collaborates with agency technology partners to determine the best way to ingest FireSat data into those platforms. Protoflight data products will enable the Alliance to finalize distribution processes for operational FireSat data, with the goal of seamless integration into as many existing end user applications as possible.

“FireSat will undoubtedly enhance situational awareness for firefighters and the communities we serve,” said CAL FIRE Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler. “By providing real-time data and advanced analytics, it will empower emergency responders to make more informed decisions, increasing safety and operational efficiency. This advancement represents a significant step forward in protecting both first responders and the public during critical situations.”

Earth Fire Alliance’s first three operational FireSats are scheduled to launch in 2026, with the full constellation of 50+ satellites to be built out by 2030.