Developing a science strategy and science priorities for FireSat, an upcoming high spatial and temporal resolution fire monitoring system

In many regions, wildfires are increasing in frequency, extent, and intensity, with consequences for climate, human health, and ecosystem integrity. Addressing increasing wildfires requires timely, accurate, and management-relevant observations to detect fires, characterize their behavior, and quantify their impacts around the world. This meeting report synthesizes outcomes from three international science workshops held in 2025 that brought together approximately 100 participants from academia, government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector to develop a coordinated science strategy for FireSat, an upcoming non-governmental satellite constellation dedicated to global fire monitoring. FireSat is designed to provide unprecedented spatial (∼80 m) and temporal (sub-hourly at full deployment) resolution of active fires, enabling improved understanding of large and short-duration fires and detection of small, cool, short-duration, and understory fires that are poorly resolved by existing systems. The report outlines priority scientific opportunities spanning climate and carbon emissions, community health and safety, and ecosystem impacts. It presents a structured research timeline from 2026 to 2030 aligned with FireSat’s phased deployment. Central themes include independent validation, uncertainty characterization, integration with legacy fire datasets, and translation of science advances into operational decision support. By articulating a shared roadmap from data to science to action, this paper aims to foster complementary researcher engagement, guide and encourage investments, foster community, and accelerate the effective use of FireSat to improve fire science, management, and societal outcomes worldwide.