OroraTech FOREST satellites
Thermal-infrared small satellites built to spot wildfires from orbit several times a day; the FOREST constellation reached 20 satellites in orbit in October 2026.
- Made by
- OroraTech
- From
- Munich, Bavaria
- Category
- Space & Defence
- Introduced
- 2022
What it is
FOREST is OroraTech's family of small Earth observation satellites carrying thermal-infrared cameras designed for one job: finding and tracking wildfires. The first, FOREST-1, launched on SpaceX's Transporter-3 rideshare in January 2022. FOREST-2 followed in June 2023 and FOREST-3, an 8U CubeSat, in January 2025. Since then the company has moved from single demonstrators to a constellation: FOREST-20 launched from Vandenberg in late 2026 and brought the network to 20 satellites in orbit.
How it works
The cameras measure heat radiated from the ground, so a fire appears as a hot pixel against cooler surroundings regardless of smoke or darkness. Onboard and ground processing flag anomalies quickly and send them to OroraTech's software platform, where they are fused with data from public satellites. The constellation is spread across several orbital planes; Rocket Lab launched an eight-satellite batch to a 550 km orbit in 2025, and each new plane adds coverage at a different time of day. FOREST-20, for example, was added specifically for morning coverage.
Why it stands out
Fires spread fastest in the afternoon, yet many legacy satellites pass over in the morning or late evening. Owning the orbits lets OroraTech schedule observations around fire behaviour rather than around someone else's mission. ESA confirmed in January 2026 that FOREST-2 met all its quality targets, and FOREST-3 completed its final mission review with ESA and DLR in May 2026. The company has stated an ambition of up to 100 satellites by 2028; that is a plan, not yet a fact.
Where you meet it
Mostly invisibly, in the alerts used by fire agencies and forest owners. Greece's Hellenic Fire System, four satellites built by OroraTech for the Hellenic Space Center and launched in May 2026, is the clearest public example. Local fire districts in the United States and NASA's commercial data programme also use the data.
Sources
Stories
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Last reviewed 4 November 2026. Main source: fooddigital.com/globenewswire/3373854. Suggest a correction.