{"id":4822,"date":"2026-05-10T09:23:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T06:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=4822"},"modified":"2026-05-10T09:23:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T06:23:00","slug":"greek-thermal-satellites-sent-the-first-real-time-data-on-fires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/?p=4822","title":{"rendered":"Greek thermal satellites sent the first real-time data on fires"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greece is entering a new era in the space technology<\/strong> and crisis management,<\/b> following the launch of four thermal satellites<\/strong> under the National Microsatellite Programme<\/strong>. <\/b> <\/p>\n

The first images from the mission have been released and capture a significant change for the country, which is now acquiring its own means of monitoring fires and natural phenomena. <\/p>\n

This is a development that is not limited to technological progress. For the first time, Greece is able to have direct access to critical data without depending solely on information from third countries or international organisations. The new satellites act as national “thermal eyes”<\/b>in space and can detect active fire outbreaks,<\/b>record the progress of the front lines and continuously transmit data to the operational centres of the Fire Service<\/strong> and the Public Protection<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

The thermal satellites<\/strong> are part of the wider \u20ac200 million National Space Programme of the Ministry of Digital Government. The programme is being implemented with the support of ESA<\/strong> and the Hellenic Space Centre (ELKED)<\/strong>, with the main objective of developing national capabilities in Earth observation and natural disaster management. <\/p>\n

With the activation of this system, the country gains comprehensive near real-time fire monitoring capability. The new model allows for early detection of new outbreaks, monitoring of the spread of the fronts and accurate mapping of burnt areas. At the same time, the data is immediately used by operational centres for decision-making in the field. <\/p>\n

The Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou,said to APE-MPE: “with the use of thermal satellites, Greece is entering a new era in Civil Protection, where information does not come afterwards, but in almost real time.” <\/p>\n

As he stressed, “for the first time, we are acquiring a national capability for continuous monitoring of fires, essentially enhancing prevention, early detection and operational response.” <\/p>\n

At the same time, he noted that “the data generated is directly integrated into the country’s operational systems, giving front-line people better insight, faster decision-making and more effective coordination.” <\/p>\n

He added that “this is a substantial upgrade to the way we manage crises,” noting that “the National Microdrone Program<\/b> is not just about technology, but is about creating real opportunities for the country, with a direct impact on citizen safety,<\/b> environmental protection<\/b> and the resilience of the economy.”<\/b> <\/p>\n

\"ionian-islands-greece-labels.webp\" <\/figure>\n

Thermal data collected from space will allow the detection of thermal anomalies even in inaccessible areas or during the night. At the same time, they will support the monitoring of the progress of fires and the very precise mapping of damage. <\/p>\n

The operational interconnection of the data with the country’s crisis management infrastructure also plays a key role in the new system. OroraTech<\/strong>, in collaboration with Greek agencies and companies, has already integrated the wildfire solution platform and active fire data into the operational systems of the Hellenic Fire Brigade and in particular into the ENGAGE<\/strong> command system. <\/p>\n

\"photoearth.webp\" <\/figure>\n

Through this link, Operational Coordination Centres gain access to active focus maps, thermal anomalies, risk assessments and frontal spread forecasts, with a continuous stream of geospatial information. <\/p>\n

At the same time, data from thermal, SAR and optical satellites are being aggregated at the Government EO Hub<\/strong>, the Government Earth Observation Hub. There, a single data management environment is created that combines information from both Greek satellites and international missions, such as Copernicus<\/strong> and Landsat<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

This new infrastructure provides relevant agencies with immediate access to data for analysis, assessment tools and automated alerts, significantly reducing the response time to emergencies. <\/p>\n

\"thermalphoto.webp\" <\/figure>\n

The capabilities of Greek thermal satellites are not limited to fires. The system can be used in monitoring marine burns<\/b>, in recording<\/i>temperatures on land and sea,<\/b>in the protection of ecosystems<\/b> and in the management of natural resources.<\/b> <\/p>\n

In addition, it supports the green economy<\/strong> and aquaculture,<\/b> and can contribute to the analysis of phenomena such as heat islands in large urban centres. <\/p>\n

OroraTech<\/strong>, which is leading the thermal satellite consortium, has already developed an operational operations centre in Greece, and has proceeded to install infrastructure, develop interconnection protocols and operate a ground data acquisition station in Lavrio. <\/p>\n

In parallel, user training and pilot tests have already been carried out so that the new system can be operationally deployed at full scale. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\n Greece is entering a new era in the field of space technology and crisis management, following the launch of four thermonuclear spacecraft.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4823,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-greece"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}