NASA launches INSPYRE mission to study giant firestorm clouds over wildfires

NASA is preparing an unprecedented aerial campaign, called INSPYRE, to fly a Gulfstream V research aircraft from Broomfield, Colorado, into the massive mushroom‑shaped firestorm clouds that develop over the most intense wildfires. The mission will sample these “clouds of fire” to measure how they inject smoke and aerosols into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, generate lightning and strong winds, and can reignite burned areas, complicating fire‑suppression efforts. Researchers aim to understand the atmospheric conditions that create the clouds and their downstream climate and health impacts, improving prediction of such extreme fire‑weather events. The study follows recent scientific findings that these phenomena are becoming more frequent and severe, with aerosol plumes persisting for months and influencing regional climate.