OroraTech

OroraTech's key idea had been developed during the MOVE-II CubeSat project and WARR at the TUM. Starting as a spin-off in January 2017, the company was incorporated as Orbital Oracle Technologies GmbH (short: OroraTech) in September 2018.{{cite news |last=Höpner |first=Axel |date=2019-08-12 |title=Wie die Ororatech-Gründer mit Nano-Satelliten Waldbrände früher entdecken wollen |trans-title=How the Founders of OroraTech Want to Detect Wildfires Earlier |url=https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/mittelstand/familienunternehmer/familienunternehmen-wie-die-ororatech-gruender-mit-nano-satelliten-waldbraende-frueher-entdecken-wollen/24896286.html?ticket=ST-6448773-JAWTtIthapfyE7BakBNE-ap1 |language=de |work=Handelsblatt |location=Düsseldorf |access-date=2020-07-18}} Since OroraTech's technology is based on academic research at the TUM, TUM professors Ulrich Walter, a former astronaut, and Alexander W. Koch act as advisors to the company.{{cite news |last=Grübler |first=Thomas |date=2020-05-06 |title=Munich NewSpace Start-Up OroraTech Closes Seed Financing Round |url=https://ororatech.com/2020/05/06/munich-newspace-start-up-ororatech-closes-seed-financing-round/ |work=OroraTech (press release) |location=Munich |access-date=2020-07-19}}

Wildfire detection using infrared sensors in space had been proposed as a technology since the 1990s.{{cite journal |last1=Thomas |first1=Paul J. |last2=Hersom |first2=Charles H. |editor-first1=Marija |editor-first2=Bjorn F. |editor-last1=Strojnik |editor-last2=Andresen |date=1995-09-29 |title=Space-based forest fire detection concept |url=https://doi.org/10.1117/12.221349 |journal=Proc. SPIE |series=Infrared Spaceborne Remote Sensing III |volume=2553 |issue=Infrared Spaceborne Remote Sensing III |pages=104–115 |doi=10.1117/12.221349 |bibcode=1995SPIE.2553..104T |s2cid=129857313 |access-date=2020-11-04|url-access=subscription }}{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=Paul J. |last2=Hersom |first2=Charles |chapter=Wildfire Detection with a Microsatellite |date=1997-01-01 |title=Applications of Photonic Technology 2 |chapter-url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9250-8_99 |journal=Applications of Photonic Technology |volume=2 |pages=633–640 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4757-9250-8_99 |isbn=978-1-4757-9252-2 |access-date=2020-11-04|chapter-url-access=subscription }} Technological advances, notably sunk space launch cost, enabled non-state actors to enter the market. As such, OroraTech operates a software platform for the detection and monitoring of wildfires based on measuring thermal-infrared radiation from space. The company is using data from existing satellites and develops their own constellation of 3-U CubeSats with thermal-infrared cameras to further improve temporal and spatial resolution of fire detection.

The software platform generates various overlays on base maps to visualize fire risk and fire detections. At the current stage, the platform uses data from twelve satellites in polar and geostationary orbits, including such by NASA, ESA, and EUMETSAT.{{cite news |last=Nikolic |first=Momcilo |date=2020-07-21 |title=Waldbrände: OroraTech mit globalem Frühwarnsystem aus dem All |trans-title=Forest Fires: OroraTech with Global Early-Warning System from Space |url=https://www.derbrutkasten.com/waldbrande-ororatech/ |language=de |work=derbrutkasten |location=Wien |access-date=2020-08-07}} In early 2020, the platform had around 100 active users.{{cite magazine |last=Pieper |first=Konstantin |date=2020-02-18 |title=OroraTech revolutioniert die globale Waldbranderkennung |trans-title=OroraTech is Revolutionising Global Forest Fire Detection |url=https://ororatech.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Raumfahrt-Concret_Artikel-Layout-Freigabe.pdf |language=de |magazine=Raumfahrt Concret, Issue 111 |location=Neubrandenburg |publisher=Iniplu 2000 |access-date=2020-07-19}}

The satellite technology is based on research from the MOVE-II project at the Chair of Astronautics (LRT) at the TUM. During the project, a 1-Unit CubeSat was launched with SpaceX in December 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www.move2space.de/MOVE-II/ |title=MOVE-II CubeSat: Student Technology in Space |author= |date=2020-08-07 |website=move2space.de |publisher=Lehrstuhl für Raumfahrttechnik (TUM) |access-date=2020-08-07 }} OroraTech's first nanosatellite, based on the original CubeSat, was developed to reach 10 cm x 10 cm x 34 cm in size,{{cite magazine |last=O'Neal |first=Arla |date=2020-09-08 |title=OroraTech transforms wildfire detection and monitoring from space |url=https://iffmag.mdmpublishing.com/ororatech-transforms-wildfire-detection-and-monitoring-from-space/ |magazine=International Fire Fighter |location=Maperton |publisher=MDM Publishing |access-date=2020-11-04}} weighing around 1.2 kg, and it was launched on 13 January 2022 as part of SpaceX's Transporter-3 rideshare mission.{{cite press release |url=https://ororatech.com/forest-1-mission-success-a-giant-leap-for-ororatech/ |title=FOREST-1 Mission Success: A Giant Leap for OroraTech |work=OroraTech |date=20 June 2022 |access-date=22 June 2022}} The satellite features an uncooled thermal-infrared imager for space applications,{{cite web |url=https://www.nanosats.eu/org/ororatech |title=Orora Technologies |date=2020-04-11 |website=www.nanosats.eu |publisher=Nanosats Database |access-date=2020-07-19 }} and GPU-accelerated on-orbit processing to reduce downlink latency and bandwidth for quicker wildfire alert dissemination, making it particularly efficient in tackling the issue of detecting wildfires in late afternoon images.{{cite web |url=https://ororatech.com/technology/ |title=Technology |date=2020-08-07 |website=ororatech.com |publisher=OroraTech |access-date=2020-08-07 }}

As of June 2022, the company plans to put its next eight satellites into orbit by the end of 2023, aiming for a detection time of 30 minutes. A second satellite, once again hosted on a Lemur-2 cubesat platform, was launched on 12 June 2023 on a Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket as part of SpaceX Transporter-8 rideshare mission.{{cite press release |url=https://ororatech.com/countdown-to-liftoff-retracing-the-forest-2-thermal-sensor-launch-into-orbit/ |title=Countdown to liftoff: retracing the FOREST-2 thermal sensor launch into orbit |date=5 July 2023 |access-date=26 July 2023 |work=OroraTech}}

The technology is used by Wildfire Services in British Columbia (Canada) and New South Wales (Australia) for wildfire detection and wildfire suppression.{{cite magazine |last=Heubl |first=Ben |date=2020-09-29 |title=Experts call for tech upgrades to help fight wildfires |url=https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2020/09/why-experts-demand-new-technology-to-fight-wildfires/ |magazine=E&T. Engineering and Technology |location=Stevenage |publisher=The Institution of Engineering and Technology |access-date=2020-11-04}} International media used images from OroraTech's wildfire service for coverage of the 2020 wildfire season in California,{{cite news |last=Hurst |first=Luke |date=2020-08-24 |title=Firefighters battle record wildfires in California after thousands of lightning strikes |url=https://www.euronews.com/2020/08/24/firefighters-battle-record-wildfires-in-california-after-thousands-of-lightning-strikes |work=euronews (article) |location=Lyon |access-date=2020-11-04}}

Oregon,{{cite news |last=Bremner |first=Jade |date=2020-08-13 |title=Mosier Wildfire Map, Update as Residents Evacuate Columbia River Gorge, Oregon |url=https://www.newsweek.com/mosier-wildfire-map-update-residents-evacuate-columbia-river-gorge-oregon-fire-1524855 |work=Newsweek (article) |location=New York |access-date=2020-11-04}} British Columbia,{{cite news |last=Potenteau |first=Doyle |date=2020-05-06 |title=Christie Mountain wildfire: B.C. blaze estimated at 2,000 hectares; windy forecast a growing concern |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7288974/christie-mountain-wildfire-2000-hectares/ |work=Global News (article) |location=Vancouver |access-date=2020-11-04}} and Siberia.{{cite news |last=Duffield |first=Charlie |date=2020-08-31 |title=Arctic wildfires have emitted 35% more CO2 so far in 2020 than the whole of last year |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/environment/arctic-wildfires-2020-co2-emissions-whole-2019-last-year-614180 |work=inews (article) |location=London |access-date=2020-11-04}}

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Category:Aerospace engineering organizations

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