Google has invested in satellites that can detect wildfires from space soon after they begin.

The first satellite in the FireSat programme is expected to launch early next year, although once complete, the constellation will consist of over 50.

Google, which is providing $13m to the initiative led by the Earth Fire Alliance, said it will be able to “detect and track wildfires the size of a classroom within 20 minutes”.

Wildfires are becoming increasingly common due to hotter and drier climates around the world. Firefighters typically have to rely on satellite imagery that is either low resolution or only updated a few times a day, making it difficult to detect fires until they’ve grown significantly larger, which makes them harder to combat.

The satellites use a set of custom infrared sensors – built in partnership with Muon Space and the Environmental Defense Fund – that are able to better detect small-scale fires. Using AI, FireSat will rapidly compare any five-metre-square spot on earth...