The FireBIRD mission consists of two small satellites, TET-1 and BIROS. Together, the two satellites are on an Earth observation mission that aims to detect forest fires, or high-temperature events, from space. The new infrared system provides high-quality data that is capable of measuring the spread of the fire and the amount of heat generated with great accuracy very early on - almost in real time - meaning that FireBIRD can serve as an early warning system. The data acquired from this Earth observation mission can also be used as a basis for scientific climate research. In addition to the main payload of the cameras, further experiments have been planned for developing the technology on board the small satellites. Further information can be found on the following website: http://www.dlr.de/firebird/en/ and in the FireBIRD brochure available at: http://www.dlr.de/firebird/en/Portaldata/79/Resources/dokumente/FireBIRD_Broschuere_HighRes_v3_english.pdf