Australia develops satellite to predict forest fires

Following the historic wildfire disaster, Australia said on March 4 that it was building a satellite capable of detecting flammable areas.

The satellite, developed by researchers from the Australian National University, is designed to operate in low Earth orbit. It is as small as a shoe box and is equipped with infrared detectors technology, which measures air humidity and forest cover below ground level.

Balmattum Hill burns on the night of 4/1.(Photo: Reddit).

"The technology can also be adapted to detect changes in plants, including herbaceous plants and woody plants, such as the highly flammable eucalyptus species , " said Marta Yebra remote sensing expert.

The team plans to partner with a private company to launch satellites in the next 5 years. When operational, the device will share data with firefighters, helping determine which areas are easy to catch fire and which are difficult to extinguish if a fire occurs. As a result, the authorities can prepare a timely response method to reduce the frequency and extent of damage from wildfires.

According to experts, global warming is making Australia's summer longer and more dangerous. Winter is also getting shorter, making forest fire prevention difficult.

Australia has just experienced one of the worst forest fires in history with more than 30 people killed, thousands of houses destroyed, more than 10 million hectares of forests destroyed and at least one billion animals killed.

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