Submitted
2025 Global Climate Challenge

Satellites On Fire

Team Leader
Franco Rodriguez Viau
​We built Satellites on Fire to stop fires before they spread, through a wildfire and deforestation early alert system and analytics platform that combines satellites providing imagery every 5 minutes, tower-mounted cameras, weather forecasts and proprietary AI models. Our user-friendly platform requires no specialized equipment, making it cost-effective and scalable for rapid deployment in regions at high risk of wildfires...
What is the name of your organization?
Satellites On Fire
What is the name of your solution?
Satellites On Fire
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Protecting lives and ecosystems from wildfires through AI-powered early detection with satellite data.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Buenos Aires, Argentina
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
ARG
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Wildfires are more frequent and severe than ever due to climate change. The Los Angeles wildfires alone cost the U.S. around $50 billion, and over the last two decades, the burned area has increased by 5.4% per year globally. Today, wildfires are burning more than twice the land they did 20 years ago. Each hectare lost costs $17,000 in damages and takes 20 years to regenerate, devastating ecosystems, livelihoods, and entire communities. But behind these numbers, there are people. Julio, a forestry producer in Latin America, lost acres of land despite relying on NASA’s satellite alerts. It wasn’t fast enough. This is no longer a seasonal or regional issue, it’s a global emergency. By 2050, the number of extreme wildfires is expected to rise by 50% (UNEP, 2022). And yet, the systems we depend on are still too slow, reactive, and disconnected.
What is your solution?
​We built Satellites on Fire to stop fires before they spread, through a wildfire and deforestation early alert system and analytics platform that combines satellites providing imagery every 5 minutes, tower-mounted cameras, weather forecasts and proprietary AI models. Our user-friendly platform requires no specialized equipment, making it cost-effective and scalable for rapid deployment in regions at high risk of wildfires and deforestation.​ By analyzing historical data and current weather conditions, our system anticipates risks, optimizes sensor placement, and prevents new fire outbreaks. Our system identifies 30% more fires than NASA’s system, which is the most uses nowadays, and in most cases several hours faster. Our solution can be found on https://app.satellitesonfire.com.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
We are constantly working to improve the lives of vulnerable communities and ecosystems that are directly impacted by wildfires. Our platform provides governments, fire departments, NGOs, fire brigades, and communities with the tools to act quickly, save lives, and protect ecosystems. Our solution addresses their needs by providing our users with accurate data about wildfire status so they can act faster than ever before and drastically reduce its consequences. For example, in Argentina, firefighters only find out about wildfires when a neighbor calls to report them. But in remote areas, there’s often no one around to see the fire, so no one alerts the fire station in time. With Satellites on Fire, firefighters can receive automatic alerts as soon as a fire starts, including the exact coordinates and a simulation showing how it might spread. This helps them respond quickly and stop the fire before it becomes a disaster, like the ones we often see in the news.
Solution Team:
Franco Rodriguez Viau
Franco Rodriguez Viau
CEO