The successful launch begins regular wildfire detection service, advancing the FireSat constellation from demonstration to operations after the Protoflight mission's first year on orbit.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., July 07, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Muon Space, the Mission Foundry for high-performance satellite constellations, today announced the successful launch of the first three operational satellites for Earth Fire Alliance’s (EFA) FireSat constellation. The satellites established contact with ground operators within 120 minutes after deployment and are healthy as they begin commissioning. The launch marks FireSat's transition from a single demonstration spacecraft to an operational constellation dedicated to detecting and monitoring wildfires around the world.
Built on Muon’s Condor-M platform, the three satellites launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-17 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Each carries FireSat's six-channel multispectral infrared payload – capable of detecting fires as small as five-by-five meters and seeing through smoke and clouds – purpose-built to identify early ignitions and track active fires that other space-based systems miss.
Together, the three satellites will provide at least twice-daily revisit across every fire-prone region on Earth, establishing a baseline of continuous, dedicated wildfire coverage. This cadence will accelerate as Muon and EFA expand the constellation toward their next impact target of hourly global revisit by 2029.
“FireSat has already proven that a satellite built specifically for wildfire can detect fires earlier and smaller than was previously possible. With these satellites, we turn that proof into an operational service – the start of dedicated coverage that fire managers can count on day after day,” said Jonny Dyer, CEO of Muon Space. “This is the foundation of the constellation we set out to build in partnership with Earth Fire Alliance, and every satellite we add brings us closer to giving the people who fight and study fires a clear, near-real-time picture of every fire on Earth.”
From Demonstration to Operations
The launch follows a successful first year on orbit for the FireSat Protoflight. Designed, built, and launched by Muon in less than a year, Protoflight lifted off aboard SpaceX's Transporter-13 mission on March 14, 2025. By summer 2025 it had captured first-of-its-kind wildfire imagery, including a small roadside fire in Oregon, USA that other space-based systems observing the region had not detected. Over its first year on orbit, Protoflight collected more than one million multispectral infrared images and operated continuously – generating data that directly informed the design of the operational satellites now joining it.
Why FireSat Matters
Projections show that the FireSat constellation will deliver significant public safety, economic, and environmental benefits. In the United States alone, a one-hour FireSat revisit rate could annually save more than $1 billion in fire damage costs, protect 3,500 homes and properties, reduce burned land by 1.3 million acres, and prevent 21.9 million tons of carbon emissions.
FireSat is developed through a partnership between Muon Space and Earth Fire Alliance, with support from Bezos Earth Fund, Google.org, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and several other supporters and partners.
“No single government, sector, or organization can solve the wildfire crisis alone,” said Brian Collins, Executive Director of Earth Fire Alliance. “FireSat is the result of radical collaboration: visionary philanthropists who invested early; Muon Space, which designed and built these spacecraft and their instruments; and the fire agencies and scientists whose early input helped tailor the system specifically for firefighting. These three satellites prove that when public and private sectors unite, we can deliver breakthrough technology to protect our planet.”
About Muon Space
Muon Space is the Mission Foundry, designing, building, and operating high-performance satellite constellations for defense, civil, and commercial customers. Founded in 2021, the company has engineered every layer: spacecraft, instruments, software, and operations, all designed to work together from simulation to orbit. With advanced production facilities in Silicon Valley and multiple constellations already on orbit, Muon delivers in months, not years. For more information, visit: https://www.muonspace.com/.
Muon Space Media Contact: Michael Sias, Firm 19, comms@muonspace.com
About Earth Fire Alliance
Earth Fire Alliance (EFA) is a global nonprofit coalition building the technological infrastructure the world needs to detect, monitor, and understand fire — and delivering critical data to the firefighters, scientists, and communities who need it most. EFA’s flagship program, FireSat, is the first satellite constellation designed specifically to address the wildfire challenge: generating an unprecedented dataset on fire and its effects on people and the planet. EFA partners with operational agencies, scientists, and technologists across continents to make fire data globally accessible, actionable, and available for the public good. To learn more, visit www.earthfirealliance.org.
Earth Fire Alliance Media Contact: Kristin Q. Cody, Earth Fire Alliance, press@earthfirealliance.org
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a6efff32-f812-419a-9826-8642ea1cd4e8
