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Eutelsat and OroraTech partner to scale space-based thermal intelligence for wildfire detection

 Eutelsat and Germany’s OroraTech announced a new partnership where OroraTech will reserve space aboard Eutelsat’s future OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites to host 48 thermal infrared payloads, with options for an additional 48.

Supported by the French and German governments as part of the Franco-German cooperation in space and announced at the occasion of the International Space Summit in Paris, the partnership brings together Eutelsat’s satellite capabilities and OroraTech’s space-based thermal intelligence technology to strengthen wildfire monitoring from orbit.

Recent wildfires in France, Germany and elsewhere in Europe have underscored the importance of detecting fires as early as possible. This is particularly challenging in remote areas where fires may remain undetected by traditional monitoring systems. OroraTech detects and characterizes thermal anomalies from orbit and transforms them into actionable intelligence, enabling earlier detection and helping emergency services understand how wildfires will evolve over time.

Under the agreement, OroraTech is planning to deploy its thermal infrared payloads aboard future Eutelsat OneWeb LEO satellites, enabling it to substantially expand its thermal monitoring network in the coming years. The expanded network will strengthen OroraTech's wildfire intelligence capabilities while also supporting additional applications including critical infrastructure, environmental monitoring and security

For Eutelsat, the partnership showcases a significant new use case for its future LEO satellites, extending the use of its infrastructure beyond pure connectivity, and highlighting the opportunity for hosted payloads as an additional source of value-creation from future LEO satellites. 

Eutelsat’s broadband connectivity has already been used by emergency services responding to wildfires around the world, providing essential communications for teams operating on the ground. Onboarding OroraTech’s technology will complement that role by helping emergency services identify fires earlier from space.

Jean-François Fallacher, Chief Executive Officer, Eutelsat commented: “The severe wildfires experienced in France, Germany and elsewhere in Europe this summer highlight the growing threat facing communities and the environment. We are pleased to work with OroraTech to carry its detection technology aboard our future satellites and contribute to efforts to identify fires earlier, complementing the role our connectivity can play in supporting emergency teams on the ground. Separately, it showcases the opportunity to generate additional value from our in-space assets by embarking third-party payloads on our satellites.”

“This partnership is about moving from satellites to infrastructure,” said Martin Langer, CEO of OroraTech. “Eutelsat has built a unique European LEO infrastructure, while OroraTech has built the world’s leading operational thermal intelligence capability. By combining both, we create a credible path toward persistent, low-latency thermal intelligence at global scale - built in Europe and available globally.”