Greece deploys AI satellites to track wildfires

Greece has integrated a dedicated constellation of four small, AI-enabled satellites into its national wildfire response system. According to the European Space Agency, the four 8U CubeSats were launched on 3 May 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 CAS500-2 mission and form the first national satellite capability devoted to wildfire detection and tracking. The satellites were developed by German firm OroraTech under Greece's National Small Satellite Programme, with programme support and technical backing from the European Space Agency and EU Recovery and Resilience Facility funding (ESA). The Associated Press reports the thermal sensors can flag fires as small as 4 meters, and that AI models are used to filter false positives and send alerts to incident commanders. Earlier coverage by The Next Web and OroraTech's product pages describe a broader goal of integrating satellite feeds, ground sensors, and analytics for national early warning and operational monitoring.