FireSat may be part of a solution to our world’s growing wildfire problem. Recent events, such as the conflagrations ravaging Los Angeles, resulted in widespread damage and enormous loss of lives and property. Spotting fires early on would allow quicker response, and with the appropriate gear, swift quelling of the flames before they became a tragic threat. Sending information to a fleet of piloted or unpiloted craft, early warnings from Firesat satellites could direct a swift response that would prevent the growth of incipient wildfires.
Fifty such low-earth orbiting watchdogs would use their highly-specialized optics to focus on the beginnings of a fire, as small as 5 x 5 meters (16.4 feet x 16.4 feet).
FireSat can detect fires as small as 5 x 5 meters (16.4 x 16.4 feet)
Finding Fires Earlier and With Greater Accuracy
Juliet Rothenberg, Product Director of Climate AI efforts at Google Research, has helped develop the FireSat program, in response to the hurried evacuation of her home four years ago when a wildfire threatened her neighborhood. Then available satellite imagery was not adquate to give early warning of destructive fires. Juliet explains, “’We had no idea if our neighborhood was safe. All we received was updated satellite imagery every 12 hours, while throughout the Bay Area, the sky was red and full of smoke.’ But what was even more shocking, she said, was realizing that wildfire authorities didn’t have much better data than she did.”
To counter the slow release of images and data, “FireSAT, is a proposed cutting-edge satellite constellation focused on detecting and monitoring wildfires. The launch of the FireSAT prototype satellite marks an important milestone in realizing the FireSAT vision.”
Prototype Muon Space satellite is first of at least 50 to be deployed in “Halo” that searches for incipient wildfires
By 2030, there could be over 50 FireSats, owned and operated by Earth Fire Alliance, in low-earth orbit, “Providing near real-time, high-precision data to spot and track wildfires faster and more accurately than ever, giving fire managers critical information to respond swiftly and strategically and scientists a better understanding of fire dynamics across different landscapes and conditions.”
The Alliance uses Muon satellites in specially developed “constellations called “Halos.” Couple that strategy with an approach designed by a long-time electric aviation advocate and we have a grand approach.
Forty Mile Circles
Dividing an area into 40 miles diameter circles shows areas within flight radius of even small, unpiloted aircraft that could attack small fires. As Dr. Seeley notes, the map could also be drown with 30 or 60 mile diameter circles. The center of each circle could be an air attack base for fire fighting, 118 for the state of California. These would be supplemented by the existing 250 public use airports in the state.
Electric Aerial Fire Fighting Vehicles
eHang 216F
The eHang 216F has been available for almost five years. Instead of sightseers, it can haul 150 liters of water or foam and six rockets to attack high-rise fires. A knowledgable friend tells your editor that living above the seventh floor in tall buildings has a risk that most fire departments can’t stretch a ladder higher than that.
eHang demonstrates firefighting ability of a machine that normally hauls tourists
Your editor thinks the eHang could be adapted for brush and small forest fires, and two or three machines in an attack could quell a small blaze before it got out of control.
Jump Aero
JumpAero thinks their eVTOL (electric Vertical Take Off and Landing) JA1 Pulse is ideal for such missions. They claim, “Jump Aero’s vehicle is specially designed to access remote and rural terrain where driving or hiking in would significantly lengthen response time in emergency situations. Our aircraft not only gets responders to the scene faster, it also provides airborne situational awareness (SA) of hot spots allowing commanders to better coordinate the most effective response.” Here, it goes through the expansion of its flight envolope (in a quarter-scale version). If one were a Ken doll size pilot, this would be his point of view.
Sustainable Aviation Foundation’s eTanker
Single pod AAF (Automated Aerial Firefighter) could reach fires, dump water or fire suppressant and make repeated drops as necessary. AAFs could come in double pod configuration to tackle larger fires
AAF being automatically loaded at fire base station. See Dr. Seeley’s paper, “Curbing The Climate Crisis By Ending Wildfires: The Essential Role Of Aviation”
As things heat up in our world, the need for rapid deployment of aircraft capable of ending wildfires before they become city-destroying monsters is becoming all-too apparent. Firesat, coupled with strategies and equipment that will stop threats in their tracks will become essential elements if we are to save our planet.