Context: 

Recently, SpaceX placed the Google-backed FireSat project’s first satellite into low Earth orbit successfully.

More on the News

• The first FireSat satellite was launched on March 14 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, US, by SpaceX’s Transporter-13 mission.
• This first-of-its-kind satellite constellation is designed to use AI to detect and track wildfires as small as a classroom (roughly 5×5 meters).
• It carries six-band multispectral infrared cameras to detect wildfires from a long distance.
• The first FireSat satellite was built by Muon Space, a California-based aerospace startup that designs and operates satellites.

FireSat Project

• FireSat aims to have a low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation comprising 50 satellites that can provide high-resolution imagery of the Earth every 20 minutes.
• The first phase of FireSat involves launching three satellites into space and making them operational by 2026.
• FireSat will use AI to compare the current image with the prior thousand images of the same spot, take local weather and other factors into account, and then reliably determine if a fire is present in the image.
• Key Partners of the project include Google Research, Muon Space, Earth Fire Alliance, Moore Foundation, wildfire authorities and others.
• The project has been funded by Google.org along with the Moore Foundation. 
• The FireSat constellation will produce five-metre resolution imagery for high-resolution images

Significance of FireSat:

• Authorities use satellite imagery to track wildfires, but it typically has low resolution and is updated only a few times per day.
• Aerial photography via aeroplanes also faces the challenges of low-quality images and infrequent updates due to the high cost of services.
• FireSat aims to overcome these limitations by providing high-resolution imagery (five-meter resolution) and real-time updates on wildfire scope and intensity.