The system is built around four small satellites that fly in low Earth orbit and repeatedly pass over the same areas. Ioannis Lantouris, OroraTech's head of operations in Greece, said the satellites can detect heat sources as small as 4 by 4 meters. The new satellites carry thermal sensors tuned to detect heat through smoke, addressing a major weakness of optical cameras in heavy-fire conditions. Thomas Smith, associate professor of environmental geography at the London School of Economics, described this as a "trade-off" between frequent imaging and sensitivity to small fires. The satellites began transmitting thermal images in June and are expected to become fully operational in September.