The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is launching a new pilot project to test whether high-altitude balloons can improve wildfire detection and response across the province.
The agency announced Friday it is partnering with LUX Aerobot to launch up to three instrument-carrying balloons from the Prince Albert and Shellbrook areas over the next two weeks, weather permitting.
The project aims to evaluate continuous aerial monitoring to support wildfire detection, speed up response times, and guide resource deployment decisions.
“Although flying twice as high as commercial aviation, the balloons may be visible to the public when ascending and descending,” the agency said in a statement, adding there is no safety risk to the public.
Each balloon is expected to remain airborne for several hours before landing in the Melfort area.
LUX Aerobot will track the flights and recover the equipment after landing.