A trio of technologies developed by researchers at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Xiomas Technologies in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, provides robust data and imagery from the stratosphere characterizing the nature, quantity, and expected movement of smoke from wildland fires. This data may be of value to wildland firefighting teams, health officials alerting their communities to smoke hazards, and scientific researchers seeking to better understand and model wildland fires. The technologies also have potential to support exploration of Mars and other planets by gathering and presenting data showing the chemical composition of the planet’s atmosphere.  

The technologies include a sensor that characterizes the particle size distributions of smoke from wildland fires and a multi-band thermal imager that quantifies burning intensity and estimates the fire’s smoke-producing emissions. The third component is a sensor that measures the smoke’s optical density to block/scatter sunlight — a technology called Atmospheric Structure Investigation originally developed to study clouds, which also was flight tested in June 2021.

On April 23, 2025, the researcher team tested all three technologies during an eight-hour high-altitude balloon flight over contained and controlled burns. During the test, the payload successfully produced imagery designed to facilitate data-driven forecasting of smoke transport.

The STRATO (Strategic Tac Radio and Tac Overwatch) system from the U.S. Forest Service, Aerostar in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and NASA’s Ames Research Center is designed to address communications challenges facing wildland firefighters, such as the limitations of line-of-sight radio transmissions in rugged terrain and cell phone coverage in remote areas.

STRATO’s sensors include an infrared camera that collects heat, spatial, and other data to help characterize the fire. For this flight test, it also featured two key connections to keep the incident command post in continuous contact with firefighters wherever they are in the field. First, a specialized LTE (long-term evolution, wireless broadband for cellular devices) payload and antenna was mounted on a gimbal, pivoting to maintain the signal between the balloon and firefighters. Second, Starlink (a division of SpaceX) and the Silvus broadband wireless system provided continuous communication between the balloon and the incident command post. These two elements provided a level of connectivity that has been missing in last-mile communications — that is, direct contact with wildland firefighters.

On Aug. 4, 2024, the STRATO technology launched aboard an Aerostar high-altitude balloon for flight testing over the West Mountain Complex fires in Idaho with the goal of providing persistent cell coverage from the stratosphere. The balloon system flew over multiple fire locations in Idaho for more than two weeks. During the flight, STRATO provided a strong, directed signal that enabled real-time communications between firefighters and the incident command post. The payload also provided imagery — including the first images of the Snag fire — that was useful to incident teams.

Developed by students in the Bronco Space club at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California as part of the inaugural challenge of the NASA TechLeap Prize, this autonomous observation technology for small spacecraft leverages artificial intelligence (AI) for potentially faster, more accurate detection of nascent wildland fires. It also has potential to support NASA’s exploration of other planets and moons by providing data on atmospheric phenomena, such as methane plumes.   

During the first flight test on July 8, 2022, researchers positioned Bronco Ember on the gondola of an Aerostar high-altitude balloon to detect small blazes on the ground, which the team lit under controlled conditions. Bronco Ember successfully detected those small fires, and the team used data from the flight test to make further calibrations to the technology’s sensors and software.  

With these improvements, the team tested the technology again aboard the second balloon flight with Aerostar on May 24, 2023. This second test validated key metrics and showed that the system could function for longer durations. It also provided data to help the team fine-tune the AI-powered analytics onboard. In addition to advancing the technology, NASA support enabled students to connect their ideas with the real-world needs of science and industry — several have now formed a small business focused on science and aerospace technology.