NASA Recruits RoGO for Fighting Wildfires

As part of efforts to support firefighters in remote areas, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to RoGO Communications (Lakewood, Colo.).

The contract assists the development of RoGO’s satellite-enabled DropBlock 2.0 communications system to help firefighters on the ground communicate at high data rates with aerial assistance in areas where cellular communications service is not available. DropBlock 2.0 equipment (see image above), which tracks the locations of firefighting crews and equipment, provides timely weather information such as wind speed, direction, temperature, and humidity.

DropBlocks are carried by wildland firefighters and supply critical tactical coordination. The company was formed, and the rugged DropBlock units were developed, because of the tragic deaths of 19 firefighters in the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona.

As RoGO CEO Rod Goossen explains, “We founded our company to save lives of wildland firefighters, developing technology for firefighters to avoid being trapped by the spread of the fire.” Regarding the NASA contract, he adds, “This contract allows us to better integrate support from aerial resources for enhanced safety of firefighters.”

Introduction of a mobile telephone application by RoGO later in 2026 will enable point-to-point communications by DropBlock users while also providing location information on firefighters and their equipment.