Volcanic eruption TOM Observes Eruption of Krakatau From Space

The three TOM satellites from Würzburg (Germany) launched in July were just flying over Anak Krakatau when the volcanic eruption occurred and were able to transmit up-to-date images. This demonstrated the capabilities of small satellites to provide important warning information in the event of natural disasters in a timely manner.

The 1883 eruption of Krakatau is considered one of the largest known natural disasters, with an estimated death toll of around 100,000 people. Located between the two large Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java, the volcanic island of Anak Krakatau emerged afterwards. Its activity in 2018 triggered a tsunami that claimed the lives of more than 400 people. The current eruption took place while the three TOM satellites were flying over the area, giving them a front-row seat for observation.

The shoebox-sized TOM satellites were built by the Center for Telematics (ZfT) in Würzburg (Germany) to capture the Earth's surface in three dimensions for disaster warnings. Predicting the spread of volcanic ash clouds is important for the potential evacuation of the population or the rerouting of aircraft along safe routes. This eruption caused significant disruptions to air traffic in Indonesia, affecting around 340,000 passengers. “We never expected to be able to capture such spectacular images of a volcanic eruption so quickly—not least from such a prominent volcano,” says Prof. Dr. Klaus Schilling, Chairman of the ZfT. “Yes, this was a stroke of luck, but once the planned sensor networks with hundreds of satellites are in orbit, discoveries like these will become routine for providing timely warnings,” adds ZfT CEO Daniel Eck.

TOM (Telematics earth Observation Mission) was funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs (StMWi) through the scientific programme of the international Regional Leadership Summit (RLS) and uses formation technologies to combine 3D observations of the Earth's surface and atmosphere from different perspectives using photogrammetric methods. This provides emergency responders with up-to-date information following natural disasters, for example after landslides or floods, but also on the spread of ash clouds following volcanic eruptions.

The TOM satellites were on board when a record number of nine satellites from Würzburg for innovative Earth observation missions were launched into space on July 7, 2026. The other successful missions include the five CuBy satellites for surveying and biomonitoring applications, as well as the CloudCT demonstration satellite for cloud characterisation. The aim is to provide important information for agriculture and forestry, disaster management, surveying tasks and climate forecasting over large areas and in a timely manner. These small satellites, each with a mass of less than 10 kg, were all built and extensively tested in Würzburg by the independent research institution “Center for Telematics (ZfT)” in cooperation with the start-up “Smart Small Satellite Systems GmbH (S4).”