NASA Develops new technology to Detect and Fight Wildfires from Space

NASA developed a new technology called FireSat that will help predict where the next wildfire will strike next

Time reported that the new fire detection technology uses infrared sensors to detect wildfire when it has grown to 35 to 50 feet wide. Wildfires are sudden and unexpected, and can destroy homes, costing billions of dollars, and even take lives every year. The system starts detecting 15 minutes after the start of the fire. 

"Delays in detection can lead to rapid escalation of a fire, and dramatic growth of the cost of suppression," FireSat lead designer Robert Staehle said. "The system we envision will work day and night for fires anywhere in the world."

The FireSat will consist of a fleet of satellites developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which teamed up with Quadra Pi R2E from San Francisco. According to Tech Times, it will have 200 thermal infrared imaging sensors that can see and monitor wildfire all over the world in a timely manner. The new technology can do all these while in space. After detecting the fire, it will notify local emergency responders who are within three minute range from the incident. This way, they can quickly put out the fire.

In a report by Gizmodo FireSat has been under production since 2011. However, the feasibility of the project has only been possible recently, with the help of advanced microelectronics, such as CubeSats. The makers plan to have a fully operational fire monitoring technology by June 2018.

NASA has been using satellites to detect wildfires for years, but the new FireSat brings this capability into a whole new level. Identifying wildfire as early as possible can help prevent it from expanding rapidly. One example is the 2014 King Fire that spread across the California forest by up to 10 miles in just one afternoon, burning up to 100,000 acres of land. That could have been prevented with the FireSat.