Sensor System for Fire Detection On-Board the Small Satellite BIRD

With the successful launch of BIRD satellite in October 2001, new possibilities of the observation of hot events like forest fires, volcanic eruptions a. o. from space are opened. The BIRD (Bi-spectral Infrared Detection) is the first satellite which is equipped with space instrumentation dedicated to recognize high-temperature events. Current remote sensing systems have the disadvantage that they were not designed for the observation of hot events. Starting with the FIRES Phase A Study, the principle requirements and ideas for a fire recognition system were defined. With the German BIRD demonstrator mission, a feasible approach of these ideas has been realized and is now working in space. The mission shall answer the technological and scientific questions related to the operation of a compact bi-spectral infrared push-broom sensor and related to the detection and investigation of fires from space. The payload of BIRD is a multi-sensor system designed to fulfil the scientific requirements under the constraints of a micro-satellite. The paper describes the basic ideas for fire detection and the estimation of fire temperature, fire size, and energy release in the sub-pixel domain and describes the technical solution for the infrared sensor system on board of BIRD