Wikipedia

OroraTech

(Redirected from FOREST-3)

OroraTech is a German aerospace start-up company providing wildfire monitoring with a network of around 35 thermal imaging satellites.[1] It was founded in 2018 as a university spin-off at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The headquarters are in Munich, Germany.[2] In June 2023, OroraTech joined the Copernicus Programme of the European Union delivered by the European Space Agency.[3]

Wildfire detection in British Columbia
Early rendering of the MOVE-II satellite

History

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OroraTech's key idea had been developed during the MOVE-II CubeSat project and WARR at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).[4] Starting as a spin-off[5] in January 2017, the company was incorporated as Orbital Oracle Technologies GmbH (short: OroraTech) in September 2018.[6] Since OroraTech's technology is based on academic research at the TUM, TUM professors Ulrich Walter, a former astronaut, and Alexander W. Koch act as advisors to the company.[7]

Technology

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Wildfire detection using infrared sensors in space had been proposed as a technology since the 1990s.[8][non-primary source needed][9][non-primary source needed] Technological advances, notably sunk space launch cost, enabled non-state actors to enter the market.[according to whom?] As such, OroraTech operates a software platform for the detection and monitoring of wildfires based on measuring thermal-infrared radiation from space.[citation needed] The company is using data from existing satellites and develops their own constellation of 3-U CubeSats with thermal-infrared cameras to further improve temporal and spatial resolution of fire detection.[citation needed]

Their Wildfire Solution software platform generates various overlays on base maps to visualize fire risk and fire detections. At the current stage, the platform uses data over twelve satellites in polar and geostationary orbits, including such by NASA, ESA, and EUMETSAT.[10] In early 2020, the platform had around 100 active users.[11][better source needed]

Field applications

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The technology is used by Wildfire Services in British Columbia (Canada) and New South Wales (Australia) for wildfire detection and wildfire suppression.[12] International media used images from OroraTech's wildfire service for coverage of the 2020 wildfire season in California,[13] Oregon,[14] British Columbia,[15] and Siberia.[16]

FOREST constellation

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The satellite technology is based on research from the MOVE-II project at the Chair of Astronautics (LRT) at the TUM. During the project, a 1-Unit CubeSat was launched with SpaceX in December 2018.[17][18][19]

FOREST-1 and FOREST-2

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OroraTech's first nanosatellite FOREST-1,[20] based on the original CubeSat, was developed to reach 10 cm x 10 cm x 34 cm in size,[21] weighing around 1.2 kg,[2] and it was launched on 13 January 2022 as part of SpaceX's Transporter-3 rideshare mission.[22][23][24] The satellite features an uncooled thermal-infrared imager for space applications,[25] and GPU-accelerated on-orbit processing to reduce downlink latency and bandwidth for quicker wildfire alert dissemination, making it particularly efficient in tackling the issue of detecting wildfires in late afternoon images.[26][27][22] A second satellite FOREST-2, once again hosted on a Lemur-2 cubesat platform, was launched on 12 June 2023 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket as part of SpaceX Transporter-8 rideshare mission.[28][29]

FOREST-3

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FOREST-3 is an Earth observation satellite focused on wildfire detection, developed by OroraTech with support of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the European Space Agency (ESA).[30][31][32][33] The 8U CubeSat is designed to provide multispectral thermal-infrared imaging of Earth surface during afternoon hours, when many wildfires ignite, but which are insufficiently covered by other infrared imaging satellites.[34]

The development of FOREST-3 was funded by DLR via ESA's InCubed programme managed by the agency's ɸ-lab.[35] The satellite was launched on 14 January 2025 on the Falcon 9 flight Transporter-12.[36][37] FOREST-3 is OroraTech's first fully internally developed spacecraft[26] and a precursor for a larger constellation of wildfire-detecting satellites planned by OroraTech.[38]

FOREST-16, 17, 18, 19

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On 3 May 2026, four satellites (FOREST-16 to19)[39] were launched for the EU-funded, ESA-coordinated Greek National Microsatellite Program of the Hellenic Space Center on Falcon 9's CAS500-2 rideshare mission. These satellites form the Hellenic Fire System,[40] the country's first dedicated satellite constellation for wildfire detection and monitoring.[41][42][43]

FOREST constellation satellites
Name COSPAR ID Satellite bus Launch date Launch vehicle Launch site Orbit Note
FOREST-1 (Lemur-2 Rohovithsa)[44] 2022-002BE 6U CubeSat (enlarged Lemur-2) 13 January 2022 Falcon 9 SLC-40 SSO Decay: 3 August 2024[45]
FOREST-2 (Lemur-2 Embrionovis)[46] 2023-084AQ 6U CubeSat (enlarged Lemur-2) 12 June 2023 Falcon 9 SLC-4E SSO
FOREST-3[47] 2025-009CB 8U CubeSat 14 January 2025, 19:09 UTC Falcon 9 SLC-4E SSO Transporter-12
FOREST-16 2026-100AF 8U CubeSat 3 May 2026, 7:00 UTC Falcon 9 SLC-40 SSO Hellenic Fire System;[40] operated by the Hellenic Space Center as part of the Greek National Microsatellite Program;[48][49] launched on CAS500-2 rideshare mission.[50][51][52][53]
FOREST-17 2026-100X
FOREST-18 2026-100AD
FOREST-19 2026-100AE

References

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  1. ↑ Hamarat, Iclal (1 February 2026). ""The truth comes from space"". Detusche Bank. Retrieved 16 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 Gläsemann, Andrea (27 June 2019). "Aus dem Weltall Feuer löschen" [Quenching Fire from Space]. Forbes (in German). Wien. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  3. ↑ "New Space companies join Copernicus". The European Space Agency. European Space Agency. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2024.[full citation needed]
  4. ↑ "AUS DEM WELTALL FEUER LÖSCHEN". Forbes (in German). 27 June 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2025.
  5. ↑ "TUM Start-up Wall - TUM". www.tum.de. Retrieved 22 July 2025.
  6. ↑ Höpner, Axel (12 August 2019). "Wie die Ororatech-Gründer mit Nano-Satelliten Waldbrände früher entdecken wollen" [How the Founders of OroraTech Want to Detect Wildfires Earlier]. Handelsblatt (in German). Düsseldorf. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  7. ↑ Grübler, Thomas (6 May 2020). "Munich NewSpace Start-Up OroraTech Closes Seed Financing Round". OroraTech (press release). Munich. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  8. ↑ Thomas, Paul J.; Hersom, Charles H. (29 September 1995). Strojnik, Marija; Andresen, Bjorn F. (eds.). "Space-based forest fire detection concept". Proc. SPIE. Infrared Spaceborne Remote Sensing III. 2553 (Infrared Spaceborne Remote Sensing III): 104–115. Bibcode:1995SPIE.2553..104T. doi:10.1117/12.221349. S2CID 129857313. Retrieved 4 November 2020.[non-primary source needed]
  9. ↑ Thomas, Paul J.; Hersom, Charles (1 January 1997). "Wildfire Detection with a Microsatellite". Applications of Photonic Technology. Vol. 2. pp. 633–640. doi:10.1007/978-1-4757-9250-8_99. ISBN 978-1-4757-9252-2. Retrieved 4 November 2020.[non-primary source needed]
  10. ↑ Nikolic, Momcilo (21 July 2020). "Waldbrände: OroraTech mit globalem Frühwarnsystem aus dem All" [Forest Fires: OroraTech with Global Early-Warning System from Space]. derbrutkasten (in German). Wien. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  11. ↑ Pieper, Konstantin (18 February 2020). "OroraTech revolutioniert die globale Waldbranderkennung" [OroraTech is Revolutionising Global Forest Fire Detection]. Raumfahrt Concret, Issue 111 (in German). Neubrandenburg: Iniplu 2000.[independent source needed]
  12. ↑ Heubl, Ben (29 September 2020). "Experts call for tech upgrades to help fight wildfires". E&T. Engineering and Technology. Stevenage: The Institution of Engineering and Technology. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  13. ↑ Hurst, Luke (24 August 2020). "Firefighters Battle Record Wildfires in California After Thousands of Lightning Strikes". EuroNews.com. Lyon. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  14. ↑ Bremner, Jade (13 August 2020). "Mosier Wildfire Map, Update as Residents Evacuate Columbia River Gorge, Oregon". Newsweek (article). New York. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  15. ↑ Potenteau, Doyle (6 May 2020). "Christie Mountain Wildfire: B.C. Blaze Estimated at 2,000 Hectares; Windy Forecast a Growing Concern". GlobalNews.ca. Vancouver. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  16. ↑ Duffield, Charlie (31 August 2020). "Arctic Wildfires Have Emitted 35% More CO2 So Far in 2020 Than the Whole of Last Year". inews (article). London. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  17. ↑ "MOVE-II". www.asg.ed.tum.de. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  18. ↑ Kulu, Erik. "MOVE-II". Nanosats Database. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  19. ↑ "MOVE 2, 2b". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  20. ↑ Kulu, Erik. "Lemur-2 Rohovitsa". Nanosats Database. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  21. ↑ O'Neal, Arla (8 September 2020). "OroraTech transforms wildfire detection and monitoring from space". International Fire Fighter. Maperton: MDM Publishing. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  22. 1 2 "FOREST-1 Mission Success: A Giant Leap for OroraTech". OroraTech (Press release). 20 June 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.[independent source needed]
  23. ↑ "Mission success for OroraTech's first thermal infrared satellite FOREST-1". Astrodrom. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  24. ↑ Moro, Francesco Sebastiano (29 October 2024). "Spire Global and OroraTech Selected by NASA JPL to Enhance Wildfire Monitoring | Space Voyaging". Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  25. ↑ "Orora Technologies". www.nanosats.eu. Nanosats Database. 11 April 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  26. 1 2 "Forest (OroraTech)".
  27. ↑ "Technology". ororatech.com. OroraTech. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  28. ↑ "Countdown to liftoff: retracing the FOREST-2 thermal sensor launch into orbit". OroraTech (Press release). 5 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.[independent source needed]
  29. ↑ Kulu, Erik. "Lemur-2 (Forest-2)". Nanosats Database. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
  30. ↑ "FOREST 3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  31. ↑ "Technical details for satellite OT-FOREST-3 BJOERNTBW". N2YO.com - Real Time Satellite Tracking and Predictions. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  32. ↑ "Big future for small satellites". www.dlr.de. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  33. ↑ Coldewey, Devin (16 October 2024). "OroraTech's space-based wildfire detection brings in $25M to put more imaging satellites in orbit". TechCrunch. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  34. ↑ "InCubed launches highlight ESA's support for innovation". www.esa.int. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  35. ↑ "OroraTech launch FOREST-3 onboard SpaceX's mission". 15 January 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  36. ↑ "FOREST-3 Satellite Launch Boosts European Wildfire Monitoring with Real-Time Thermal Imaging". OroraTech. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  37. ↑ "Transporter-12 Mission". www.exolaunch.com. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
  38. ↑ Rocket Lab to launch OroraTech satellites
  39. ↑ "FOREST 16, ..., 19". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
  40. 1 2 Koutroumpis, John (10 March 2026). "Greece Moves Closer to Launch New Fire Monitoring Satellites". GreekReporter.com. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  41. ↑ tovima.com (3 May 2026). "Greece Launches First Thermal Satellites to Boost Fire Detection and Climate Monitoring". tovima.com (in Greek). Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  42. ↑ Kampouris, Nick (3 May 2026). "Greece Launches First Thermal Satellites to Combat Wildfires". GreekReporter.com. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  43. ↑ Gatti, Emma (4 May 2026). "OroraTech deploys wildfire constellation for Greece". SpaceNews. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
  44. ↑ "FOREST 1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  45. ↑ "Technical details for satellite LEMUR 2 ROHOVITHSA". N2YO.com - Real Time Satellite Tracking and Predictions. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  46. ↑ "FOREST 2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  47. ↑ "FOREST 3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  48. ↑ tovima.com (3 May 2026). "Greece Launches First Thermal Satellites to Boost Fire Detection and Climate Monitoring". tovima.com (in Greek). Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  49. ↑ Kampouris, Nick (3 May 2026). "Greece Launches First Thermal Satellites to Combat Wildfires". GreekReporter.com. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  50. ↑ "#nova #launchwithexolaunch | Exolaunch". LinkedIn. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  51. ↑ "CAS500-2 Mission". SpaceX. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  52. ↑ Day, Eleanor (3 May 2026). "SpaceX launches CAS500-2 and 45 other payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  53. ↑ Maták, Juraj. "Družice". Kozmonautika. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
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