Canada's fire forecasters will be getting a new tool in their battle against out-of-control blazes. In this year's record-scorching fire season, provincial and federal wildfire agencies had to rely on a mix of European and NASA satellite instruments to help monitor and predict fire behaviour. Now, however, the Canadian Space Agency is preparing to launch what it describes as the world's first dedicated public fire-monitoring satellite into orbit. Canada currently relies on several satellites for its fire data. Several key instruments are aboard the European Space Agency's Sentinel satellites. Additionally, heat data from infrared sensors on several satellites launched by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as high-resolution photographs from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometers (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua and Terra satellites, are currently being used. Once Canada's own $170-million WildFireSat launches into orbit — planned for 2029 — it will leave Canadian emergency officials less reliant on our friends on the final fire frontier.
