The Würzburg University satellite SONATE-2 has taken an impressive photo of the fires in California.
![[Translate to Englisch:] none](https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/fileadmin/uniwue/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2025/0113Sonate-Braende-USA-www.png)
SONATE-2, the small satellite of Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg, has captured an impressive image of the earth: It shows the ongoing forest fires in the greater Los Angeles area (USA). Clearly visible plumes of smoke drift westwards across the Pacific Ocean, emphasising the seriousness of the situation. The image was taken on 9 January 2025.
The JMU satellite orbits the earth 15 times a day. It was developed and built by a team led by Hakan Kayal, Head of the JMU Professorship for Space Technology. The project manager is Dr Oleksii Balagurin; the mission control centre is located on JMU's Hubland Campus.
AI is Trained on Board
SONATE-2 has been in orbit since 5 March 2024. The small satellite is unique in the world because it is used to train an AI that will autonomously detect and photograph anomalous phenomena in space and on Earth during future space missions. Other possible applications include the search for water or life on other celestial bodies.
