OroraTech has launched its FOREST 20 satellite, expanding its thermal intelligence network to 20 satellites in orbit.
The mission represents the 18th thermal satellite deployed by the company in 18 months as it develops satellite infrastructure for wildfire detection and thermal monitoring.
Increasing wildfire observations
FOREST 20 launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and will provide additional morning coverage.
The increased capacity is intended to provide more frequent thermal observations throughout the day, reducing the time between the start of a wildfire, detection from space and information reaching response teams.
With 20 satellites now in orbit, OroraTech’s constellation can observe thermal activity at different times from early morning into late evening.
Additional observations can help identify new fires and monitor how existing incidents develop.
Supporting wildfire response
Information collected by the satellite network feeds into OroraTech’s Wildfire Solution platform.
Customers can use the system to detect new fires, monitor ongoing incidents and assess changes in conditions.
OroraTech is developing the network as distributed thermal infrastructure rather than relying on individual satellite missions. It combines dedicated satellites with hosted thermal sensors to increase the availability of near real time information.
Expanding thermal intelligence
The same infrastructure can monitor temperature variations across the Earth, supporting OroraTech’s Land Surface Temperature and Sea Surface Temperature capabilities alongside the development of further thermal intelligence applications.
Ignacio Zuleta, Chief Technology and Product Officer at OroraTech, said: “We are no longer launching individual missions, instead we are continuously deploying thermal infrastructure in space.
“Eighteen thermal satellites in 18 months demonstrates the pace at which we can scale. With FOREST-20, we now have 20 satellites in orbit, and every additional satellite makes our thermal intelligence more frequent, more persistent and more valuable.
“Our ambition is to make natural and human fire activity anywhere on Earth visible through thermal intelligence, as it happens.”
FOREST 20 will now undergo commissioning before beginning operations as part of the company’s thermal intelligence constellation.
