Google-backed FireSat satellites launch for wildfire detection as smoke blankets US and Canada

Amid widespread smoke from hundreds of wildfires across the United States and Canada, the first three operational satellites of the Google-backed FireSat program launched into orbit on July 7, 2026, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. After a three-month testing period, the satellites will begin detecting small fires in the United States, Australia, and Europe before the end of the year, with the goal of covering every fire-prone region on Earth at least twice daily. Developed by Muon Space and managed by the nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance, the FireSat constellation is the first purpose-built for wildfire detection, supported by over $15 million from Google and $26 million from the Bezos Earth Fund.