The Ministry of Digital Governance of Greece has awarded the German startup OroraTech a A contract of 20 million euros to build a satellite-based early warning system for the fires, which last year alone cost the Mediterranean nation almost €2 billion in damages.
The national defense system will consist of four thermal satellites and a network of ground sensors and processing services. OroraTech will develop it in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and several Greek universities and companies.
A spin-out from the Technical University of Munich, builds OroraTech Thermal imaging satellites that can detect fires from space and monitor their spread. The company has so far launched two satellites, the first of which blasted off into low Earth orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 in June of last year.
Greece’s national fire system will become fully operational once OroraTech has its full constellation of 100 shoebox-sized satellites in orbit, scheduled for 2026. “However, we will send data Greece immediately with our current network of thermal platforms, including the Wildfire Platform solution,” a company spokesperson told TNW.
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OroraTech’s so-called Wildfire Solution collects images from its own probes as well as over 20 other Earth observatories the satellites. The startup has trained an AI algorithm to scan these images and automatically detect signs of fires. The system can also predict how they will spread.
Once operational, the fire protection system will be linked directly to the Greek emergency services. The platform will monitor ongoing fires, helping support firefighting efforts on the ground.
“By investing specifically in orbital technology, we are making a real difference in monitoring fires that threaten people’s lives, our ecosystems and our economy,” said Dimitris Papastergiou, Greece’s digital governance minister.
The project comes as Greece prepares for another wildfire season. Last year, the country was hit hard by one generation of fires that included southern Europe. Even at the time of writing, firefighters are battling a massive fire near the capital Athens.
Greece has over 6,000 islands, many of which are mountainous, making fighting fires difficult. The country hopes OroraTech’s system will improve the speed and accuracy with which future fires are detected and monitored.
Alongside its technology, the startup will join forces with the National Technical University of Athens to develop data product algorithms, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens to develop space sensors, Satways for product interoperability and Attisat for building a ground station based in Greece. .
“Our Greek partners’ world-class knowledge of thermal sensing is essential in providing the best solution for this country,” said Martin Langer, CEO and CTO at OroraTech. “Greece will be the first country in the world to have a national satellite-based fire system.”
OroraTech told us that its third satellite, FOREST-3 (top photo), is scheduled for launch in November. The company is currently testing eight new thermal imaging satellites, which it plans to launch in early 2025.
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Image Source : thenextweb.com