IGNIS Mission

ECU is making history and leading the groundbreaking IGNIS Mission, a landmark Australian–US collaboration with NASA to study lightning and fire from the ground, air, and space.

Partnering with NASA, the University of New South Wales, the University of Adelaide, the University of Technology Sydney, and the University of Newcastle, ECU is the only Western Australian university participating in this mission.

This pioneering work will deliver vital insights to strengthen fire prediction, disaster resilience, and community safety in Australia and worldwide.

Meet the team

Professor Paulo de Souza

Professor Paulo de Souza leads the IGNIS project, driving the vision and impact of this groundbreaking mission.

Murray Terwey

Murray Terwey leads the IGNIS airborne campaign, managing aircraft logistics, student teams, and technical coordination with NASA. He also supports field operations and data analysis.

Fatemeh Tajrobehkar

Fatemeh Tajrobehkar supports the IGNIS project by assisting with data collection and analysis, and guiding students through data analysis projects during six on-campus sessions at ECU.

Monir Moniruzzaman

Dr. MD Moniruzzaman leads the design of key sensing and power systems for lightning detection and data calibration. He mentors students and actively supports IGNIS Mission Student Interns Program.

Key phases

Phase 1.1: Airborne Survey of likely location of a ground-based Lightning Mapper Array (LMA)

In mid-January 2025 work began on surveying an 1 000 000-hectare area to the centred 150km East Southeast of Perth. The project took over 50 000 photos of the area
This work used a Gippsland GA8 Airvan equipped with two nadir mounted Fujifilm GFX100 cameras, one for recording RGB and the other near infrared images.
Over 5 Tb of images were captured allowing exploration of the area and its vegetation in very high detail, as well as terrain relief, useful for the identification locations for the LMA.
This survey paved the way for the MSFC LMA and for the GFSC MCTI Airbourne campaign set to start later in the year.

Phase 1.2: Ground Network Deployment

Involves the deployment of a ground network of 10-14 lightning sensors across eastern Australia by February 2025.
Provides an unprecedented 3-D view inside thunderclouds to reveal the origin of long-lasting continuous lightning currents.
Operated in collaboration with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre.

Phase 1.3: Airborne Campaign to test MCTI, Gecko Dragonfly RGB Imager and Edge Computing payload.

Initiates with flights over Southwest Western Australia in December to collect engineering data.
Aims to map temperature signatures and lightning and fire events across the Southwest of the state.
Supported by ECU's Aviation division and private companies like Xcalibur Aviation and Helicopter Logistics.
Multispectral Compact Thermal Imager payload is a state of the art 6 band Infrared camera supplied by NASA GSFC.

Phase 2: Satellite Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) Mission

Launch of a 12U satellite with payload like that tested in the airborne campaign to map and track thermal and lightning patterns from a VLEO of 300-500 km.
Edge computing will allow preprocessing of images on board to allow for easier transmission to ground stations over the limited bandwidth of the 12U cube sat.
Satellite will be set in a Solar synchronous orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes aiming to over Australia at 1640 Local Mean Time.

Phase 3: Deep Space Mission to Jupiter’s Moon Io

A SIMPLEX deep-space mission to observe the interaction of solar activity and lightning on Jupiter and its moon Io is an aspirational goal for 2032.

Collaborative efforts

The project will expand to include researchers from other universities, following NASA's Participating Scientist Program model. This collaboration aims to enhance the scientific team's capabilities and leverage diverse expertise to maximize the mission's impact.

Broader impact

Apart from advancing our understanding of lightning and fire behaviour, the IGNIS mission addresses significant issues like climate change and fire prediction. The project involves the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and will benefit a wide variety of firefighting agencies worldwide.

Comments from Partners

UNSW: "UNSW expertise in bushfire modelling and AI/ML application will enhance our ability to predict extreme bushfire threats."
University of Adelaide: "This initiative represents NASA's first-ever joint mission with Australia," said ARC Australian Laureate Prof. Derek Abbott.
UTS: "Space is critical for understanding how our world works and supporting sustainable high standards of living," noted Professor Peta Wyeth, Dean, Faculty of Engineering and IT, UTS.

The IGNIS mission, with its ambitious and far-reaching objectives, is set to build the knowledge and research base for Australia’s space exploration ecosystem. With strong support from NASA and various Australian institutions, the project promises significant advancements in the understanding and management of natural disasters, ultimately contributing to the safety and resilience of communities worldwide.

IGNIS Mission Student Interns Program

The intern program is designed to provide students from Years 7 to 11 across Western Australia with real-world experience, encourage them to take risks, and demonstrate how exciting and rewarding STEM can be. The program prepares students to:

strengthen their critical thinking, analytical, and technical skills
build essential teamwork and communication skills through collaborative problem-solving
make connections with students from different schools
understand how STEM can be applied to solve real-world challenges
learn about the aerospace industry

The students will assist our scientists and engineers to assemble, test, deploy the sensors and analyse data collected from innovative ground stations and from the test flights.

Learn more

Noongar Boodja Rangers

The IGNIS project is a powerful example of collaboration between modern science and ancient cultural knowledge. This partnership between Edith Cowan University, NASA, and the Noongar Boodja Rangers combines advanced lightning detection technology with over 65,000 years of connection to Country.

The Rangers play a central role by guiding sensor placement using their knowledge of seasonal changes, wildlife, flood-prone areas, and culturally significant sites. They continue to care for the sensors after installation, ensuring they remain safe, functional, and in harmony with the land.

Established in 2014, the Noongar Boodja Ranger Team provides meaningful work on Country for Aboriginal people in the Wheatbelt. Their expertise spans land care, native seed collection, weed control, and more, blending cultural knowledge with hands-on skills.

This partnership is a model for respectful, community-led research where Aboriginal and Western knowledge work side by side for stronger outcomes for people, science, and Country.

Contact

To learn more about the mission, reach out to the project leader via email: p.desouza@ecu.edu.au.