Production and delivery of new FIRMS active fire data, imagery, and other datasets from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) satellite will cease at 13:00 Universal Time (UTC) on November 2, 2026. (See this data update for more information). If you rely on Suomi VIIRS or OMPS data from NASA FIRMS, it is recommended that you start to use data from NOAA-20 and NOAA-21, which have a similar schedule as Suomi and provide the same data products.
In this post, we provide information on what this change means for your workflows and the recommended replacement datasets you can use in FIRMS to ensure uninterrupted fire monitoring.
What Is Changing?
For more than a decade, the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the Suomi NPP satellite has delivered 375-meter (and 750m) active fire and burned area data. On November 2, 2026, that operational data stream for the Suomi VIIRS active fire product will no longer be updated and email alerts will no longer be delivered. (Historical data will continue to be available.) Other data products derived from VIIRS and other sensors on Suomi NPP—including Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS)—will also cease to be produced and delivered, including correct reflectance imagery, Black Marble imagery, burned area data, and aerosol indices.
What to Use in FIRMS Instead
Fortunately, you can seamlessly transition to newer, operational VIIRS and OMPS instruments that provide the same (or better) data quality and resolution.
NOAA-20 (JPSS-1) VIIRS (375 m) and NOAA-21 (JPSS-2) VIIRS (375 m)
The best direct drop-in replacements are NOAA-20 and NOAA-21, which both carry an identical VIIRS sensor providing the same spatial resolution as Suomi NPP VIIRS. The satellites fly in the same orbital plane as Suomi NPP, approximately 50 minutes apart, ensuring consistent daytime and nighttime observations for VIIRS active fire detections, imagery, and burned area, as well as OMPS aerosol indices. FIRMS already provides access to these replacement datasets.
- NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 VIIRS active fire detection data
- NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 corrected reflectance imagery
- NOAA-20 VIIRS Black Marble imagery
- NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 OMPS aerosol indices
Efforts are ongoing to develop and implement a continuity plan of the Suomi NPP VIIRS burned area product using NOAA-20 VIIRS observations and possibly NOAA-21.
MODIS (Terra and Aqua) [with reservations]
For long-term historical continuity: While coarser in spatial resolution (1 km), MODIS remains available for regional and historical fire trend analysis and for monitoring current fire activity. However, users that rely on MODIS for ongoing applications are encouraged to begin to transition their workflows to alternative data sources to ensure continuity in the future.
Currently MODIS Terra provides the only morning overpass (approximately 3 hours before Aqua). NASA is investigating alternatives to maintain fire detections in the morning orbit when Terra reaches the end of operations.
MODIS Aqua has an afternoon observation time similar to Suomi NPP, NOAA-20, and NOAA-21. When Aqua reaches the end of operations, users will be able to use active fire data from VIIRS on NOAA-20 and NOAA-21, and they will not experience any loss in observation capability in the afternoon orbit.
Geostationary Active Fire Data (GOES-East / GOES-West / Himawari / Meteosat)
Geostationary active fire detection data continues to be provided in FIRMS and complements active fire detection data provided by polar-orbiting sensors. Geostationary satellite sensors can provide repeated observations at 10 to 15 minute intervals, making it possible to capture the growth and change of fires and to detect fires that may not be detected at longer temporal intervals.
However, the spatial resolution of geostationary satellite data is generally coarser and therefore less sensitive to small fires. The spatial resolution directly below the satellite (known as the “sub-satellite point”) is 2 km for GOES ABI and Himawari AHI, and 3 km for MSG SEVIRI. Additionally, the spatial resolution of the pixel (i.e., the pixel size) systematically grows away from the sub-satellite point towards the edge of the disk (see FIRMS FAQ). The exception is the new Meteosat Third Generation satellite (available in the experimental tab of FIRMS global and FIRMS US/Canada), which provides active fire detections with a 1 km pixel resolution at sub-nadir. As with other geostationary satellites, the resolution of the pixel grows coarser away from sub-nadir.
Recommended Next Steps for FIRMS Users
To avoid any disruptions in your operations, we recommend taking the following actions prior to November 2:
FIRMS Map Layers
If you use Suomi NPP VIIRS as your default layer in FIRMS, switch the layer to NOAA-20 VIIRS or NOAA-21 VIIRS.
FIRMS users will be able to continue to access products derived from Suomi NPP VIIRS and OMPS observations prior to November 2, 2026. The FIRMS user interface will be updated to clearly identify these products.
Update FIRMS Email Alerts
If you have active email alerts or subscriptions tied exclusively to Suomi NPP, visit your FIRMS account settings to add NOAA-20 and NOAA-21 feeds, if they are not already included. Existing alerts can be easily deactivated/reactivated to support seasonal monitoring needs. Alert subscriptions that also include MODIS, NOAA-20 VIIRS, and NOAA-21 VIIRS will continue as normal. To manage your current FIRMS alerts, please visit firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/alerts and then authenticate and manage your current alerts on the provided user interface.
Update Automated Scripts and API Calls
If you consume data via the FIRMS REST API, WMS/WFS, or CSV/SHP feeds, update your sensor parameter from VIIRS_SNPP_NRT (or VIIRS_SNPP_SP) to VIIRS_NOAA20_NRT or VIIRS_NOAA21_NRT.
If you have questions, comments, or need assistance, please reach out to the FIRMS team by emailing earthdata-support@nasa.gov with FIRMS in the subject line.