FireSat Satellites Launch to Detect Wildfires Amid Widespread Smoke in US and Canada

The first three operational satellites in the Google-backed FireSat program launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on July 7, 2026, as smoke from hundreds of wildfires blanketed parts of the United States and Canada. After a three-month testing period, the constellation will begin detecting small fires across the US, Australia, and Europe, providing data to fire agencies at least twice daily. Designed by Muon Space, the FireSat constellation is specifically built for wildfire detection, with over $15 million from Google and $26 million from the Bezos Earth Fund supporting its initial deployment.