How a New Satellite Constellation Is Rewriting the Rules of Early Wildfire Detection

Earth Fire Alliance is a winner of the 2026 Gizmodo Science Fair for developing a satellite constellation dedicated to the early detection of potentially dangerous wildfires.

For years, firefighters and scientists have watched wildfires from space using satellites built to do many things—but not specifically to find fires. By the time those satellites detect a fire and send the data back to Earth, a tiny blaze can already have become a fast-moving wildfire. The FireSat constellation is designed to change…