Firefighting from the sky: UAE firm starts high-altitude monitoring mission in Spain

A UAE space technology company has initiated a wildfire-monitoring mission in Spain using a solar-powered aircraft. The ApusNeo18 high-altitude platform took off from Canarias Stratoport on Fuerteventura and reached an altitude of 16,000 feet (4,875 meters) during a 29-hour flight over the Canary Islands. The aircraft is equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors, transmitting live, high-resolution video and images to help authorities detect and monitor fires.

Mira Aerospace, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi-based Space 42, claimed the flight set two European records for high-altitude platform systems – duration in the air and highest altitude. Further flights are scheduled next month in collaboration with Telespazio Iberica, with the eventual goal of reaching Gran Canaria. This mission follows a severe wildfire season in Spain, with over 265,000 hectares of forest burned by August 17 and 42 large forest fires recorded.

High-altitude platform systems (Hap) function as a hybrid of conventional aircraft and satellites, capable of prolonged flights and carrying mission-specific sensors. Khaled Al Marzooqi, CEO of Mira Aerospace, stated that the mission demonstrates the company's capacity to support major international projects and provides sustained surveillance and real-time data to Telespazio Iberica.

Carlos Fernandez de la Pena, CEO of Telespazio Iberica, emphasized that the flights showcase Hap technology transitioning from testing to operational use, enhancing wildfire prevention, surveillance, and emergency response capabilities in Europe. Additionally, in June, three advanced UAE satellites called Foresight-3, Foresight-4, and Foresight-5, equipped with radar technology, became fully operational, expanding Space42's Foresight Earth Observation constellation to five satellites and bolstering disaster response and climate change efforts.