ESA Sentinel-5P satellite tracks wildfire smoke over Spain and France

The European Space Agency (ESA) released satellite imagery showing extensive aerosol plumes from active wildfires across the Iberian Peninsula and southern France. Data from the Copernicus Sentinel‑5P satellite, equipped with the Tropomi spectrometer, captured smoke columns from fires in Ávila, the Sierra Oeste of Madrid, Castellón, and near Bordeaux in Gironde. The measurements map aerosol concentrations in near‑real‑time, supporting air‑quality monitoring, fire‑management decisions and broader climate research.

ESA also announced the upcoming PiroSAR constellation, a network of satellites designed to monitor fires 24 hours a day, even through clouds, aiming to cut the detection‑to‑decision interval from several days to just a few hours. Astronaut Pablo Álvarez highlighted that observations from the International Space Station can clearly see smoke columns, underscoring the value of space‑based monitoring for both emergency response and future fire‑prevention strategies.