Ibadan, 10 February 2025. – Spire Global (Canada) has announced a partnership with OroraTech to fulfil a CAD 72 million contract from the Government of Canada, to design and develop a dedicated satellite constellation to monitor all active wildfires in Canada from space as part of Canada’s WildFireSat mission.
Consequently, Spire will design and develop the dedicated satellite constellation while OroraTech develops the wildfire detection payloads on the satellites, and the data handling and processing system. These payloads have already provided data during Canadian wildfire emergencies, with OroraTech providing detection and management services to Quebec’s wildfire authority, Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU).
Canada spends roughly CAD 1 billion every year fighting wildfires, with indirect costs much higher due to property damage, evacuations, health expenses, and economic losses in sectors like forestry, energy, and tourism. Furthermore, these wildfires disproportionately affect Indigenous communities in remote areas, making up an estimated 42% of wildfire-related evacuations despite being 5% of Canada’s population. This solution aims to save lives, land, and property by detecting wildfires early.
To deliver on this contract, Spire intends to expand its existing Canadian office in Cambridge, Ontario to add satellite manufacturing and test equipment, enabling WildFireSat and future missions to be manufactured domestically in Canada.
“Spire and OroraTech are happy to support the Government of Canada with our proven infrared camera technology and data processing architecture, providing exceptional imagers for wildfire detection, management, and response,” remarked Martin Langer, CEO & CTO of OroraTech. “We are particularly proud that this will help Indigenous communities across Canada to respond effectively to these natural threats, safeguarding their communities and way of life.”
