In this Space Cafe “33 minutes with…” episode, Laura Todd, Senior Advisor at SpaceWatch.Global, sits down with Mina Mitry, CEO of Kepler Communications, and Thomas Gruebler, Co-founder of OroraTech, at Space Symposium for a groundbreaking announcement – the world’s first live-streaming thermal infrared data from space.
The Historic First Light
At the beginning of the year, four OroraTech cameras launched aboard Kepler Communications satellites. The result is something the industry has never seen before: live-streaming thermal infrared data from space, with data delivery in just one to two minutes – and live streaming directly from the satellite on the horizon.
Collaboration at Unprecedented Speed
What makes this story remarkable is the speed. From first conversation to operational capability on orbit took just four to five months,a timeframe Thomas describes as “unheard of.” The key? Both companies brought well-qualified, proven systems to the table.
Mina frames it as “sovereign interoperability”, the idea that nations can each have their own enclave to operate in, while still working together to deliver sensors, systems, and data across allied nations.
Why It Matters – Wildfire Detection
Tracking wildfires demands speed. Traditional Earth observation data can take hours, by which point a fire has already progressed. With the Kepler-OroraTech partnership, latency drops to near real-time.
The impact is tangible. In Canada alone, billions of dollars are wasted in property damage and resource misallocation. The Quebec fire agency currently flies daily grid patterns with aircraft- costly, risky for pilots, and impossible when smoke grounds the planes. Space-based observation works when nothing else can. A demonstration in operations is planned for this summer.
Beyond Wildfires
The same technology opens powerful new applications:
- Dark vessel detection – ships can turn off transponders, but not their temperature
- Rocket launch tracking – the team caught the Crew-13 SpaceX launch on camera
- Defense applications – a full pipeline from sensor to decision-maker
The Scale Plan
OroraTech plans to launch around 100 cameras over the next two years, accelerated by hopping onto Kepler’s existing launch infrastructure.
The Trust Factor
In a surprising reveal, Thomas shares his origin story: he served as a full-time firefighter for nine months in Austria. This lived experience shapes his humility about the customer. Fire chiefs aren’t space experts – they still use analog radios and pen and paper because those systems are trusted and stable. They won’t accept excuses like “the satellite missed the ground station.”
As Mina puts it: “Trust is at the core. That’s what enables international partners to collaborate.”
The Bigger Message
This collaboration is a model for the industry. Rather than “I want to do it all myself”—or vertical integration—complementary capabilities working together deliver value faster. As Laura emphasizes, the four-to-five-month timeframe should be a benchmark for everyone.
