Loft Orbital (Loft) today announced it has signed a contract with the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (SmartSat CRC) to deploy a wildfire detection application to Loft’s on-orbit satellites. The project will serve as a high-tech demonstration of near real-time, software-based wildfire detection from low Earth orbit.

This mission is designed to validate the software's functionality and performance in the space environment, providing a critical proof-of-concept for low-latency early detection of small smoke signatures. The application uses hyperspectral signatures to identify and distinguish smoke from standard cloud cover or fog, allowing early detection of small fires that can build to large wildfire events.

The collaboration will explore the potential operationalization of the capability for emergency services, both by Australian and international wildfire management organizations, leveraging Loft’s growing infrastructure of AI-enabled space assets.

Validating Future Operational Capabilities

The project is a critical step toward potential future operational capability, aimed at proving advanced algorithms can successfully and effectively process data on-orbit, enabling low-latency alerts necessary for wildfire response to be automatically generated in space. Successfully demonstrating this capability on Loft’s existing space infrastructure will provide a blueprint for potential future integration across Loft’s growing satellite constellation.

"This partnership with SmartSat CRC is an important step in proving how software-defined missions can advance vital Earth observation goals," said Mack Koepke, Senior VP of Business Development at Loft. "By testing this application on our satellite platform, we are establishing the technical foundation required to provide low-latency insights to emergency organizations on a global scale."

National Interest and Global Reach

The project has already garnered significant interest from wildfire fighting agencies in Australia, who are looking toward space-based technology to enhance early detection efforts. As a project funded by the Australian Government through the SmartSat CRC, the demonstration highlights the growing collaboration between international space infrastructure providers and sovereign research initiatives.

"SmartSat’s focus for this collaboration is on developing sovereign space technologies that address Australia’s unique environmental challenges," said Professor Andy Koronios, CEO of SmartSat CRC. "This demonstration onboard Loft’s AI-enabled infrastructure is a vital step in our research. It allows us to refine our detection models and prove the technical feasibility of generating low-latency alerts, which will be crucial in order to deliver a fully operational service for fire agencies and emergency services."

About Loft

Founded in 2017, Loft provides governments, companies, and research institutions with a fast, reliable way to deploy missions in orbit. Loft integrates, launches, and operates spacecraft on behalf of its customers, allowing them to focus on mission outcomes rather than building or operating their own satellites.

By leveraging Loft’s existing space infrastructure, modular technologies, and inventory of satellites on a shelf, customers can deploy new capabilities in months instead of years. Loft has flown more than 25 missions across a wide range of payloads and applications, demonstrating consistent, repeatable performance on-orbit. Loft is a global company with facilities in San Francisco, Golden, Colorado, and Toulouse, France. In 2024, Loft and Marlan Space established Orbitworks, the Middle East’s first private space-infrastructure company, extending Loft’s ability to support customers worldwide.

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