Greece’s new fire monitoring satellites have moved a step closer to launch, marking an important milestone for the country’s national small satellite program and strengthening its push to improve wildfire detection from space.
The new system, known as the Hellenic Fire System, is the second group of operational Earth observation satellites developed under the Greek National Small Satellite Programme. Altogether, the program will include 13 operational satellites, divided into four categories according to their instruments.
Greece’s fire monitoring satellites support a broader space strategy
Greece is funding the program through the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility. Through this initiative, the country aims to advance national satellite technology and applications, support job creation and economic growth, and reinforce its capabilities in disaster management, continuous environmental monitoring, and national security.
The Hellenic Space Center and the Greek Ministry of Digital Governance are leading the program. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency provides the overall framework and supports the development of the different satellite systems.
Four CubeSats built for wildfire detection
The upcoming constellation includes four CubeSats developed by OroraTech to give Greece sovereign, space-based thermal monitoring capabilities.
As the country remains highly vulnerable to wildfires, the system is designed to detect, monitor, and characterize fires with high reliability. At the same time, it will provide systematic coverage across Greek territory.
Each satellite uses an 8U CubeSat platform and includes one deployable solar panel measuring 42 by 22 centimeters. In addition, each satellite carries two infrared imagers operating in the midwave infrared and longwave infrared spectral bands.
These instruments will capture infrared imagery over Greece and other areas of interest. As a result, authorities will be able to detect active fires, measure thermal anomalies, and assess fire radiative intensity more effectively.
Early hotspot detection and continuous fire tracking
The system will help authorities identify emerging hotspots early and monitor fire behavior continuously through precise measurements of thermal emissions.
This capability is especially important for Greece, where wildfires have become a major environmental and civil protection challenge. In that context, the new satellites are expected to improve situational awareness and support faster operational responses.
Magnetic cleaning completed ahead of launch
Before teams ship the four CubeSats to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, with launch expected later this spring, the satellites spent several days at ESA’s facility in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, undergoing magnetic cleaning.
This process removes residual magnetic fields and helps ensure that the satellites’ sensitive onboard attitude control systems operate correctly. Otherwise, a satellite’s own magnetism could interfere with its instruments, trigger unwanted rotation, or interact with Earth’s magnetic field in ways that could damage the mission.
Greece fire monitoring satellites set for final launch preparations
Svein-Jarle Lokas, ESA’s project manager for the Greek national missions, said the demagnetization process went smoothly and brought the mission one step closer to launch.
He added that teams are now preparing the satellites for shipment to Exolaunch in Germany. From there, the company will oversee final launch preparations and integration onto a Falcon 9 rocket.