{
  "id": 1975728,
  "title": "How satellite technology can help Europe battle wildfires",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/how-satellite-technology-can-help-europe-battle-wildfires",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T15:47:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-turns-satellites-technology-battle-wildfires/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Europe's approach to combating wildfires is evolving, with satellite technology emerging as a key tool. Rather than focusing solely on Canadair planes or rain, there is growing interest in utilizing satellite capabilities to prevent or contain new blazes. Satellites provide European governments and firefighters with more accurate information, aiding in mapping damage and early detection of fires. In recent years, approximately 600,000 hectares have burned across EU countries, with recent incidents including a large wildfire in Belgium. This has prompted Europe to step up its game in the field of disaster management.\n\nGreece was among the first to act, launching a satellite system in May, dubbed the \"Hellenic Fire System.\" This system was built through European collaboration, involving the European Space Agency, its Greek counterpart, German wildfire intelligence platform Ororatech, and Finnish radar-based satellite provider ICEYE. The satellites carry infrared imagers, which detect heat energy emitted by fires, allowing for the identification and tracking of hotspots in near real-time. The European Space Agency notes that this system aims to enhance early detection of emerging hotspots and continuous monitoring of fire behavior.\n\nBeyond wildfires, satellites can also aid in managing other extreme weather events. Finnish company ICEYE, which specializes in monitoring both natural and man-made disasters, recently raised €1 billion in new financing. The company provides monitoring services for governments and businesses to manage wildfires, floods, and wind damage from hurricanes and typhoons. ICEYE CEO Rafal Modrzewski sees potential in expanding their services to predict wildfires or identify them at an earlier stage. He also emphasizes the benefits of utilizing space-based capabilities on an EU-wide scale through the European Commission, rather than individually by the 27 member nations.\n\nThe European Commission already plays a significant role in helping governments and emergency services map and detect wildfires, utilizing data from NASA's MODIS and the European Space Agency's Sentinel-3 satellite. The European Forest Fire Information System currently delivers data and images every 10 minutes; however, with the launch of a new satellite from the Meteosat third generation next Thursday, this frequency is expected to increase to every 2.5 minutes, enhancing detection and forecasting of potential wildfires.",
  "summary": "As summer blazes are again spreading across the continent, satellites can now gather images and data to map damage and detect fires at an early stage.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}