Muon Space has launched the first three operational FireSat satellites for Earth Fire Alliance, marking a major step toward faster wildfire detection and near-real-time fire monitoring worldwide.
The satellites, which form part of Earth Fire Alliance’s FireSat constellation, were deployed aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-17 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Muon Space said contact was established with ground operators within 120 minutes of deployment and that the satellites are healthy as they begin commissioning.
The launch moves FireSat from a single demonstration spacecraft into an operational satellite constellation designed specifically to detect and monitor wildfires. Built on Muon’s Condor-M platform, each satellite carries a six-channel multispectral infrared payload that can detect fires as small as 5-by-5 meters and see through smoke and clouds.
The three satellites are expected to provide at least twice-daily coverage across every fire-prone region on Earth. Muon Space and Earth Fire Alliance plan to expand the constellation toward an hourly global revisit rate by 2029, giving firefighters and scientists more timely information on new ignitions and active fires.
Jonny Dyer, CEO of Muon Space, said: “FireSat has already proven that a satellite built specifically for wildfire can detect fires earlier and smaller than was previously possible. With these satellites, we turn that proof into an operational service — the start of dedicated coverage that fire managers can count on day after day.”
The launch follows the first year in orbit for FireSat Protoflight, which lifted off on SpaceX’s Transporter-13 mission on March 14, 2025. According to Muon Space, the demonstration satellite captured wildfire imagery including a small roadside fire in Oregon that other space-based systems observing the region had not detected. It has also collected more than one million multispectral infrared images.
Earth Fire Alliance said FireSat has been shaped through collaboration with fire agencies, scientists, philanthropic funders, and technology partners. Supporters include the Bezos Earth Fund, Google.org, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and other partners.
“No single government, sector, or organization can solve the wildfire crisis alone,”said Brian Collins, Executive Director of Earth Fire Alliance. “FireSat is the result of radical collaboration: visionary philanthropists who invested early; Muon Space, which designed and built these spacecraft and their instruments; and the fire agencies and scientists whose early input helped tailor the system specifically for firefighting.”
