Ororatech successfully completes first satellite mission

The Munich-based start-up has developed a technology that uses satellite images to detect forest fires at an early stage.

Ororatech's Forest-1 satellite has been in space since January. Now the Munich-based start-up is announcing the first successes of its technology, which can detect forest fires at an early stage: At the end of May, the satellite equipped with a thermal imaging camera detected bushfires in Borroloola, Australia.

Clouds of smoke could be seen on the images of a 170-kilometre section. The heat signature of the fire was precisely visible on the satellite's medium-wave infrared sensor. The start-up was also able to measure the temperature on the ground using long waves.

With its technology, Ororatech aims to close a data gap in the detection of forest fires. Fires are often only reported up to eight hours later, as it is difficult for satellites to detect forest fires in the afternoon. With the help of a graphics card, Ororatech's satellite technology transmits high-resolution images in real time. "In a few years, we will be able to detect forest fires worldwide within 30 minutes with our constellation," says Ororatech Managing Director Thomas Grübler confidently.

The Munich-based start-up is currently still using data from other satellites for forest fire management. Forest 1 has now served as the first test for its own technology. The start-up plans to launch a further eight satellites into orbit by the end of 2023.