Tag Archives: Flavia Tata Nardini

Rio Tinto leveraging Fleet Space exploration tech at Rincon lithium project

Energy minerals, Mineral exploration, Mining services, , , ,

Fleet Space Technologies has announced an ongoing collaboration with Rio Tinto to advance exploration at its Rincon lithium project in Argentina.

Leveraging Fleet Space’s end-to-end exploration solution powered by space and AI, ExoSphere, Rio Tinto will develop 3D subsurface maps of the reservoir, basement depth, and brine influencing structures across 100 sq.km of the project’s salt flat and nearby subvolcanic structures.

“Rio Tinto and Fleet Space share a commitment to pioneering breakthrough technologies to make net-zero a reality,” Flavia Tata Nardini, Co-Founder & CEO of Fleet Space Technologies, says. “We are proud to deploy ExoSphere’s real-time multiphysics capabilities in support of Rio Tinto’s data-driven exploration for energy transition minerals. We look forward to bringing the latest innovations in spacetech, 3D multiphysics, and AI to unlock new insights, predictive capabilities, and sustainability benefits to advance the development of world-class operations globally.”

The Rincon lithium project represents a significant potential source of battery-grade lithium carbonate necessary for the global energy transition. Rio Tinto’s deployment of Exosphere at scale across the project reflects its commitment to using innovative technologies to enhance exploration, decarbonise value chains and develop the Rincon lithium project to the highest ESG standards, Fleet Space says.

ExoSphere’s end-to-end capabilities enable real-time 3D Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) data acquisition and processing by Fleet Space’s satellite network to deliver actionable 3D subsurface insights in days with near-zero environmental impact.

The end-to-end architecture pioneered by Fleet Space’s mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, integrates the latest advances in space technology, 3D multiphysics and AI to map mineral systems in real-time. Edge computing in ExoSphere’s smart seismic sensors enable real-time transmission and processing of high-quality 3D data by Fleet Space’s satellite network, delivering actionable 3D subsurface insights up to 5 km in depth and targeting recommendations to customers around the world.

By streamlining data acquisition, processing, integration and delivery of AI-enabled 3D insights into a single end-to-end solution, ExoSphere simplifies data operations, enhances the quality and speed of decision making and helps to minimise environmental footprint across the lifecycle of a project, the company says.

Fleet Space to integrate gravity surveys into ExoShere end-to-end exploration platform

Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, , , , , ,

Fleet Space’s mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, is taking another step on its mission to becoming an end-to-end multiphysics platform powered by space and artificial intelligence (AI) with the addition of gravity surveys to its existing offering.

ExoSphere Gravity will now be available as an add-on to the real-time Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) surveys used by over 40 industry leading exploration companies like Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold and Core Lithium. This means customers will be able to acquire gravity data in tandem with any deployment of an ExoSphere real-time ANT survey.

“Integrating gravity into our multiphysics offering represents Fleet Space’s commitment to delivering world-class, end-to-end exploration services that complement and enhance the data-driven strategies of the global mining industry,” Co-Founder & CEO of Fleet Space, Flavia Tata Nardini, says. “By leveling up traditional geophysical methods with ExoSphere’s vertically integrated hardware stack powered by space and AI, we can maximise the value of multiphysics datasets like gravity and decrease cost per discovery, all while minimising environmental impact. Reducing the friction between data acquisition, integration and targeting is essential to accelerate the path to discovery.”

Simultaneous acquisition of high-quality ANT and gravity data not only reduces the time and resources needed for data collection and minimises in-field logistics, but also enables the delivery of ANT survey insights plus two powerful gravity datasets with a single ExoSphere deployment, Fleet Space says. It does this through:

  • Cover-corrected gravity model: False positives are common with gravity anomalies due to the geometry of the cover/basement contact. Leveraging ANT data, ExoSphere will automatically conduct a cover correction of the gravity data to remove false positives with geological review and oversight from the Fleet Space team. This approach enables customers to make more precise targeting decisions by enhancing the accuracy and maximising the value of their gravity datasets; and
  • 3D density model: Density, as measured by gravity surveys, and seismic velocity, as measured by ANT, are critical metrics for effective mineral detection. The combination of ANT and gravity enables the creation of a 3D density model which provides customers a multidimensional view of subsurface structures, allowing for a clearer differentiation of rock types. The integration of these complementary datasets improves the identification of high-value targets, while also minimising the costs associated with data integration by other means, the company says.

Gerrit Olivier, Chief Scientist at Fleet Space, says: “Joint analysis of ambient noise tomography and gravity is critical to enhance vectoring into mineralisation and optimise drilling design. By simultaneously analysing multiple physical properties, we significantly de-risk and reduce the uncertainty of interpreting geophysical anomalies by delivering a far more comprehensive understanding of the subtle and significant geological connections of the subsurface composition.

“This integrated approach to multiphysics reduces false positives while also maximising the quality of data-driven decisions used to pinpoint high-value targets, making exploration faster, more efficient and ultimately more successful.”

To support the rapid and complex needs of drill planning and targeting, Fleet Space’s team of geologists and geophysicists will analyse and process ExoSphere Gravity data as part of the ANT survey workflow. This includes the development of a survey plan optimised for the complementary acquisition of the ground gravity and ANT data, in addition to the full suite of customer support provided by Fleet Space’s domain experts with interpretation, target ranking and account management.

The expansion of ExoSphere’s multiphysics offerings follows a series of deployments that have opened new frontiers in the scale and reach of exploration. This year, Fleet Space conducted the world’s largest real-time ANT copper survey across 1,800 sq.km of Australia’s Macquarie Arc in support of Inflection Resources exploration agreement with AngloGold Ashanti, the world’s highest real-time ANT survey with Gold Fields at Salares Norte in Chile and delivered 3D subsurface maps across 1,150 sq.km of Barrick Gold’s Reko Diq project.

By introducing gravity as an add-on to ExoSphere’s real-time ANT survey capabilities, Fleet Space says it is positioned to radically reduce the exploration search space and advance the data-driven targeting efforts of customers worldwide.

AI-infused plug-and-play tech stack needed to further exploration, Tata Nardini says

Mineral exploration, Mining events, Mining services, Sustainable mining, , , ,

Technological innovation is the cornerstone of human progress. At their best the foundational technologies of the modern world – such as the global internet, digital technologies, space travel, clean energy, and AI – fill me with a belief that hard problems are not permanent fixtures in time and space, Flavia Tata Nardini* writes.

They are mutable barriers humanity must overcome to build a brighter future for our planet.

We now face a paradox on the road to net zero: delivering the minerals needed to fuel the global adoption of clean energy technologies depends on the rate of new mineral discoveries. That makes the global mining industry not only an essential partner on the road to net zero but elevates the complexity and structural obstacles involved in modern exploration as critical problems that must be solved to achieve climate progress.

Innovators in this field need a reality check: mineral exploration is a balancing act of constantly shifting macro-level conditions (market pressures, investment cycles, shifts in exploration strategy, regulation, budgets and price volatility, etc).

This means every exploration company faces unique operating conditions that are either enabling their progress, slowing it down, or forcing it into stasis. However, when you examine the challenges of explorers on the ground and how they compound across the exploration lifecycle, a clear innovation path starts to emerge.

At the project level implementing a strategy in highly remote and rugged environments with incomplete datasets and changing budgets can be a real struggle. Exploration teams are often being pulled in several directions at once while managing the planning, logistics, data interpretation, strategy modification and budget for each stage of their program.

Add the complexity of integrating vast amounts of data of various types and quality – each with their own weighted significance for the specific project – while reducing human bias in the analysis represent incredibly time and cost-intensive steps for exploration teams.

This is a significant contributor to why it takes up to 16.5 years to identify and operationalise a new mine (according to the International Energy Agency).

When I survey the technology landscape of the world today there are some very specific capabilities that can address these fundamental challenges in the exploration workflow.

Satellite connectivity, for real-time exploration data collection and processing. High-quality and scale invariant 3D multiphysics data, for streamlined integration of diverse 3D and 2D exploration datasets. Multimodal and multiscale artificial intelligence (AI) to radically narrow the exploration search space, enhance data-driven decision making, while also de-risking and identifying new opportunities faster.

Expecting major or early-stage explorers to cultivate the expertise and resources needed to develop and integrate these technologies is unreasonable: their focus is and needs to stay fixed on discovery. They also don’t need multiple new technology providers and software to build into their planning cycle and strategy, adding more complexity.

The real-time and predictive capabilities enabled by advanced satellite connectivity, real-time multi-physics data acquisition and AI must be combined into a plug-and-play technology stack that can be deployed rapidly at any stage of the exploration journey with minimal environmental impact. This represents more than just profound gains in efficiency at every level of exploration. It represents a unification of the end-to-end exploration journey, enabling data-driven learning in exploration on a previously unimaginable scale.

The key to maximising the value of high-quality real-time data acquisition and processing is AI. By linking a continuous feed of high-quality exploration data to custom multi-scale, multimodal AI models, the on-site teams working on the frontlines of exploration today can integrate and interpret vast amounts of data, challenge hypotheses and arrive at actionable decision points faster. This creates shorter and more insightful learning cycles, strengthening a positive feedback loop of enhanced decision making at every stage of the exploration journey.

Looking at the arc of mining innovation before us, I see a deeper integration of these technologies across the global exploration value chain.

As we continue to strive for a net-zero future the operational challenges involved with mineral discovery can no longer be viewed as isolated hurdles. They must be addressed through a unified technological approach that empowers exploration teams with real-time data, AI-driven insights and streamlined workflows, enabling them to deploy resources towards opportunities faster, with enhanced precision, while minimising environmental impact.

Instead of accepting complexity and operational headwinds as table stakes, we must view them as opportunities to drive down the time and costs involved between each step of the exploration journey using the latest wave of innovation in space, 3D multi-physics integration and AI.

With this approach we can meaningfully reduce the time to discovery, unlock sustainability across the mining lifecycle and set the industry up for a renaissance in data-driven exploration. Then, as mineral supply and demand equalises, clean energy technologies scale, and the inputs needed for the advanced technologies of the future are secured, the critical role of our industry will come into focus as the foundation of the clean energy future we aim to build.

The convening power of IMARC drives the future of the global mining value chain into the present. IMARC’s invaluable role in forming a shared understanding of the challenges we face, opportunities for collaboration, and solutions that can move the industry forward, is critical to the progress we work tirelessly to achieve.

We look forward to seeing you there!

*Flavia Tata Nardini, co-founder and CEO of Fleet Space Technologies, is a keynote speaker at IMARC 2024 in Sydney, Australia, from October 29-31. International Mining is a media sponsor of IMARC 2024

Fleet Space’s ExoSphere tech on the search for subsurface exploration targets in Canada’s Athabasca Basin

Energy minerals, Mineral exploration, Mining services, , , , , ,

Through an expanded deployment of Fleet Space’s end-to-end mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, IsoEnergy completed surveys of highly prospective and minimally explored areas at its Larocque East project near the  Hurricane uranium deposit in Canada’s Athabasca Basin, the technology company says.

The real-time 3D subsurface imaging capabilities of ExoSphere identified six new high-priority targets on strike with the Hurricane deposit east of the project. IsoEnergy’s summer exploration program focused on drilling targets defined by ExoSphere in 2023, which confirmed an extension of a hydrothermal system on strike with Hurricane as well as alteration and structural disruption consistent with potential uranium mineralisation. These new findings have led IsoEnergy to prioritise the new targets identified by ExoSphere as part of their ongoing summer program and accelerate exploration of the site.

“ExoSphere’s proprietary end-to-end technology stack – combining powerful advances in space technology, 3D multiphysics, and AI – is driving a paradigm shift in the global exploration landscape,” Flavia Tata Nardini, CEO & Co-Founder of Fleet Space, says. “The cross-scale insights and enhanced targeting enabled by ExoSphere’s real-time 3D imaging have redefined the untapped potential of Canada’s Athabasca Basin, enabling IsoEnergy to deploy resources toward opportunities faster while minimising environmental impact. We are excited to partner with exploration leaders in the Athabasca Basin to streamline their exploration journey with next-level insights and precision needed to rapidly narrow the search space and realise the potential of Canada’s premiere uranium-producing region.”

Home to the highest-grade and largest uranium mines, such as McArthur River and Cigar Lake, the Athabasca Basin in Canada’s Northern Saskatchewan provides nearly 20% of the world’s supply of uranium. Only 40 km away from the McClean Lake Mill, IsoEnergy’s Larocque East property is within the Hurricane Zone, which contains the world’s largest indicated uranium mineral resource. IsoEnergy has positioned itself to be a near-term uranium producer, progressing its exploration under the harsh conditions, rugged terrain, seasonality and remote location of its project in the Athabasca Basin with highly scalable and rapidly deployable exploration techniques to drive results in line with Canada’s regulatory framework and ESG objectives. This led IsoEnergy to use the real-time 3D imaging of ExoSphere at the Larocque East project to enhance their geological understanding of the area and determine potential targets.

Dr Darryl Clark, Executive Vice President of Exploration and Development at IsoEnergy, says: “ExoSphere’s real-time imaging and targeting capabilities have been critical technologies during our Winter and Summer exploration programs. Drilling results from the initial targets generated by ExoSphere confirmed strong hydrothermal alteration and potential uranium mineralisation – validating the potential of ExoSphere to significantly enhance targeting and reduce time to discovery at scale. The predictive and real-time capabilities enabled by ExoSphere have played a vital role in helping us accelerate our exploration program by identifying targets faster and more sustainably, underscoring the residual prospectivity and untapped potential at the Larocque East project.”

ExoSphere’s deployments in the Athabasca Basin with IsoEnergy builds on the rapid global adoption for Fleet Space’s solution among top exploration companies around the world. Barrick Gold recently used ExoSphere across 1,150 sq.km of its Reko Diq project in Pakistan to generate 3D subsurface maps of copper porphyry complexes for multiple zones of interest. Encompassing over 1,818 sq.km of projects in Australia’s premiere copper province, Fleet Space also conducted the world’s largest real-time ambient noise tomography survey across Inflection Resources’ tenements in the Macquarie Arc. Fleet Space also helped identify multiple previously unknown large-scale targets for Eagle Mountain at its Silver Mountain project in Arizona within the Laramide Arc.

Harnessing Fleet Space’s satellite constellation, smart seismic sensors and AI engine, ExoSphere integrates data acquisition, processing, interpretation, and targeting into a single end-to-end solution. By delivering real-time 3D imaging and AI-enhanced targeting insights, ExoSphere optimises the speed and precision of data-driven decision making, unlocking more efficient and sustainable outcomes across the exploration lifecycle, the company says.

Fleet Space’s ExoSphere solution to be deployed at Eagle Mountain’s Silver Mountain project

Base metals, Mineral exploration, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , ,

Fleet Space Technologies, Australia’s leading space exploration company, has deployed its end-to-end mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, to enhance Eagle Mountain’s data-driven copper exploration at its Silver Mountain project in Arizona, USA.

Leveraging ExoSphere’s real-time 3D subsurface mapping capabilities, powered by space technology and artificial intelligence, Eagle Mountain uncovered new insights that underscore the potential for large mineralised systems and identified multiple unknown targets at Silver Mountain, according to ExoSphere.

“We’re proud to deploy ExoSphere to accelerate the geological understanding of the United States’ premiere copper producing region and drive more sustainable outcomes across the exploration value chain,” Flavia Tata Nardini, Co-Founder & CEO of Fleet Space, said. “Space, 3D multiphysics, and AI are vital technologies that can make US efforts to strengthen its domestic critical mineral supply chain faster and more scalable, while minimising environmental footprint. We’re thrilled to bring the latest advances in these technologies and Fleet Space’s deep expertise from the forefront of copper exploration globally to deliver unparalleled geological insights that further America’s ambitions in AI, electrification, and clean energy technologies.”

Eagle Mountain is a leading copper explorer committed to building its Oracle Ridge copper mine and Silver Mountain project into low-emission sources of high-grade copper production to supply the demand for green energy, Fleet Space saya. Located in the second largest copper porphyry province on Earth, its Silver Mountain project sits on the Laramide Arc, a geological feature connected to the eastern half of the Pacific Ring of Fire that includes several of the world’s largest copper discoveries such as Bagdad, Miami and Resolution.

Due to complications resulting from complex sediment cover, several geophysical techniques were unable to reliably pinpoint deeper targets at the Silver Mountain project. This led Eagle Mountain to deploy Fleet Space’s ExoSphere solution, to generate high-resolution 3D imaging of their target zones up to 2.5 km in depth. The subsurface insights delivered by ExoSphere revealed new indicators of large-scale mineralised systems – identifying deep porphyry-style targets and surrounding alteration zones, vital features for defining potential mineralising fluid and heat sources deep undercover.

The survey also enhanced Eagle Mountain’s understanding of regional structures, such as the Breakaway Fault system running NNW-SSE in the Scarlett area, delivering new findings about structures thought to be controlling mineralisation in the region. Velocity zones consistent with porphyry-style intrusions were also found, identifying previously unknown large-scale targets in the project’s unexplored western target zone. As a result of the new findings, Eagle Mountain shifted Silver Mountain to a top priority, accelerating its exploration activities at the site.

“The real-time 3D imaging capabilities of Fleet Space’s end-to-end solution, ExoSphere, helped us rapidly enhance our geological understanding of the Silver Mountain project, reduce uncertainty and deliver multiple high-priority targets for further exploration,” Tim Mason, CEO of Eagle Mountain, said. “The insights we gained from the ExoSphere survey have unlocked the geological potential of our Silver Mountain project, solidifying its place in our exploration strategy moving forward.”

Fleet Space’s first deployment of ExoSphere in America’s leading copper producing region in Arizona builds on the soaring global adoption of the end-to-end solution among leading copper producers and exploration companies. Barrick Gold recently used ExoSphere to generate 3D subsurface maps of copper porphyry complexes for multiple zones of interest across 1,150 sq.km of its Reko Diq project in Pakistan.

Fleet Space also conducted the world’s largest real-time Ambient Noise Tomography survey across Australia’s premiere copper-porphyry province – the Macquarie Arc – encompassing over 1,818 sq.km of Inflection Resource’s projects in the region.

Powered by Fleet Space’s proprietary satellite constellation, smart seismic sensors and AI, ExoSphere radically streamlines data acquisition, processing, integration and insight delivery into a single end-to-end solution, it says.

Inflection Resources to tap Fleet Space’s ExoSphere solution for undercover exploration

Base metals, Mineral exploration, Mining services, Precious metals, , , , , , ,

Fleet Space Technologies and Inflection Resources are pioneering the use of space technology and artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of large-scale copper-gold deposits in Australia’s Macquarie Arc.

Leveraging the real-time Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) survey capabilities of Fleet Space’s end-to-end mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, Inflection Resources has identified several new priority targets under a thick sequence of sedimentary cover masking the underlying, older prospective geology at its Duck Creek project in New South Wales.

As part of the expanded charter, Inflection Resources will deploy ExoSphere on a significant part of its tenement portfolio extending over approximately 1,818 sq.km in the Macquarie Arc of the Lachlan Fold Belt – underscoring both companies’ commitment to responsible mineral discovery, enabled by data-driven exploration with near-zero environmental impact, Fleet Space says.

“Without a major acceleration in copper discoveries, humanity’s transition to renewable energy and building the infrastructure necessary for the global AI industry are unachievable,” Fleet Space CEO & co-Founder, Flavia Tata Nardini, said. “We are proud to conduct the world’s largest mineral exploration survey with Ambient Noise Tomography in support of Inflection Resources’ data-driven exploration of the Macquarie Arc with our end-to-end solution, ExoSphere, and deliver sustainable subsurface insights at scale with our next-generation AI capabilities.”

Inflection Resources is a copper exploration company with projects across the Macquarie Arc. Inflection attempted a variety of geophysical survey techniques to prospect for copper in the basement rocks over the Duck Creek project area, however, the depth of post-mineral sedimentary cover and conductivity of those sediments resulted in these methods failing to produce reliable results. This led Inflection Resources to deploy Fleet Space’s end-to-end mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, over the area – taking advantage of its high-resolution 3D imaging to depths of 2.5 km, which is indifferent to the conductive elements in the cover sediment, including groundwater.

The subsurface insights delivered by ExoSphere’s geophysical surveys at the Duck Creek project enabled Inflection Resources to identify multiple new high priority drill targets to be explored in the coming months, Fleet Space says. The 3D models generated by ExoSphere detected low-velocity zones in areas where previous drilling showed alteration typical of that seen in proximity to other alkalic copper-gold porphyry systems in the Macquarie Arc and high-velocity features consistent with potential intrusions. After Inflection Resources’ announcement of new targets, AngloGold Ashanti shifted the designation of Duck Creek from Phase 1 to Phase II under its Exploration Agreement with Inflection Resources – which includes drilling targets identified with ExoSphere’s geophysical surveys.

Building on the identification of these previously unknown zones of interest at Duck Creek, Inflection Resources will deploy ExoSphere to survey 1,818 sq.km of its exploration licences and leverage Fleet Space’s next-generation AI capabilities to create a copper prospectivity map of its projects across the Macquarie Arc.

Inflection Resources’ President & CEO, Alistair Waddell, said: “The end-to-end capabilities of ExoSphere and the 3D subsurface insights it unlocked has helped Inflection rapidly identify several new high-priority targets at our Duck Creek project and demonstrated that the ExoSphere system can accelerate the data-driven exploration of our projects. We’re excited to work with Fleet Space again and deploy ExoSphere on a large scale across Inflection’s projects in the Macquarie Arc and leverage Fleet Space’s AI-powered prospectivity insights to aid our exploration strategy across Australia’s premier porphyry copper-gold province.”

The copper prospectivity map created with ExoSphere’s AI engine for Inflection Resources’ exploration licences in the Macquarie Arc is an example of the AI-powered insights that are possible with large-scale, multimodal, 3D subsurface data, Fleet Space says. Fleet Space’s real-time data acquisition capabilities are enabled by its proprietary satellite constellation, smart seismic sensors (Geodes) and 3D data processing to enhance onsite decision making at each phase of a drilling campaign. From target validation, prospecting or reducing uncertainty across a project, ExoSphere’s end-to-end capabilities unlock 3D and AI-powered insights that enhance data-driven exploration with unprecedented speed, scale and accuracy.

ExoSphere’s 3D Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT) survey data has been shown to be up to three times more important than other geophysical methods for the construction of a multimodal foundation model. This is due to ANT’s inherent scalability which allows for the generation of high-quality 3D data sets at any scale with equal effectiveness. By integrating the ANT survey results with data from other geophysical techniques, such as magnetic, gravity, EM, IP and more, ExoSphere’s AI engine can be fine-tuned to deliver a wide range of subsurface insights to accelerate mineral exploration worldwide.

Fleet Space’s ExoSphere mineral exploration platform to receive Centauri-6 satellite boost

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Fleet Space Technologies, a leading Australian space exploration company, has announced the successful deployment of its next-generation Centauri-6 satellite on SpaceX’s Bandwagon-1 mission, bolstering its end-to-end mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere.

The satellite was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. The addition of Centauri-6 to Fleet Space’s satellite constellation will play a vital role in servicing the global demand for ExoSphere, while also building capacity to deliver advanced SATCOM capabilities with microsatellite architectures.

The successful launch of Centauri-6 is the latest development from Fleet Space after a period of exponential growth and innovative breakthroughs unlocking new capabilities in the global space sector, it says.

Rapid global adoption of Fleet Space’s satellite-enabled mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, has been the catalyst behind the company’s sustained innovation in space technologies and growth over the past year. Over 40 exploration companies – including Rio Tinto, Core Lithium and Barrick Gold – have used the technology to complete 300-plus surveys for a variety of critical minerals across five continents, according to the company.

“Humanity’s expanding satellite infrastructure is rapidly unlocking new capabilities that can help to address some of the most pressing challenges facing our planet,” Flavia Tata Nardini, Co-Founder and CEO of Fleet Space, said. “At current rates of mineral discoveries and production, our net-zero goals and clean energy future are unattainable in the coming decades. Leveraging the latest advances in space technology, AI, and geophysics – Fleet Space is demonstrating a path to accelerate mineral exploration in a more data-driven, scalable and sustainable way. Centauri-6 is a portal into a future of efficient, mass-scale satellite manufacturing that can unlock previously unimaginable satellite-enabled solutions to hard problems on Earth.”

Centauri-6 has been designed with multiple upgrades to optimise the resilience and durability of the satellite while also enhancing the overall capacity of Fleet Space’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to support the growing demand for ExoSphere, the company says. Centauri-6 has greater uplink capacity and redundancy, enabling more resilient data transfer from Fleet Space’s satellite-enabled seismic sensors on the ground. The satellite has also been designed with an ion electric propulsion system powered by solar panels to provide thrust in the vacuum of space. Centauri-6’s design also leverages 3D-printed components – including the 3D-printed metal patch antenna Fleet Space pioneered on earlier Centauri satellites.

Matt Pearson, co-Founder and Chief Exploration Officer at Fleet Space, said: “Innovation in microsatellite architectures is advancing at an unprecedented rate, unlocking new capabilities across sectors at scale. The reprogrammability of our Centauri satellites enables in-orbit software updates that can deliver all-new capabilities, as we recently demonstrated with Centauri-4 – making it the world’s smallest known voice-enabled satellite. This marks a significant leap forward in the history of spacecraft – making a future with more energy-efficient, high-performing, flexible, and resilient microsatellite infrastructure within reach for the global space sector.”

ExoSphere, Fleet Space’s flagship mineral exploration technology, combines the latest advances in satellite connectivity, edge computing, AI and geophysics to deliver 3D subsurface models of a survey area in days with near-zero environmental impact. To generate the 3D models, Fleet Space’s patented satellite-enabled seismic sensors – called Geodes – are distributed into an array across a survey area, then the data is transmitted and processed by Fleet Space’s satellite constellation in LEO, providing near real-time access to survey results for exploration customers around the world, the company claims. Traditionally, seismic data acquisition and processing has taken months or years before it can be used as part of an exploration campaign. By delivering 3D subsurface models up to a depth of 2.5km in days, Fleet Space is radically reducing the time and resources needed to accelerate mineral discovery in support of the clean energy transition.

Fleet Space Technologies adds machine-learning powered features to ExoSphere platform

Mineral exploration, Mining services, Mining software, , ,

Fleet Space Technologies has announced three new features to its mineral exploration technology, Exosphere by Fleet®, designed to enhance and accelerate data-driven global mineral exploration efforts with machine learning (ML) capabilities and real-time survey diagnostics.

The introduction of new ML-powered features and real-time sensor diagnostics to ExoSphere enables faster on-site targeting decisions and provides access to greater subsurface insights before, during and after every survey, the company says.

Bringing together Fleet Space’s satellite constellation in low Earth orbit and patented seismic array technology, ExoSphere delivers 3D subsurface models of a survey area in days with near-zero environmental impact, according to the company. Over 35 global exploration companies have used the technology to complete hundreds of surveys for a wide range of commodity types across five continents, including Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold and Core Lithium, among many others.

“A future with near instantaneous access to subsurface insights that can lead to the next wave of mineral discoveries needed for the energy transition is within our grasp due to rapid advances in space technology,” co-Founder & CEO of Fleet Space Technologies, Flavia Tata Nardini, says. “Technologies like ExoSphere, and the ML-enabled, real-time features we are building for it, represent a major leap forward in the potential scale and speed of data-driven exploration while also reducing environmental impact.”

With ExoSphere’s 3D subsurface models and ML-enabled features, exploration customers will be able to leverage a variety of new subsurface insights on-demand to accelerate and enhance their data-driven exploration efforts, according to the company.

Outlined below are the new ExoSphere features available today and others that will arrive in the coming months, including Geological Sketch, Basement Depth, and Real-Time Diagnostics.

Geological Sketch
Starting today, customers using the ExoSphere platform will be able to access Geological Sketch – a powerful visualization tool that allows them to convey their understanding of the geology and lithology of their project. Using this visualisation, Fleet Space’s in-house team of geophysicists can refine the customer’s 3D model with a wider range of insights before, during, and after their survey is complete – enhancing model accuracy while also unlocking new insights to inform their targeting decisions, the company says.

Basement Depth Map
Understanding basement depth is critical since it is an important indicator of the economic potential of a project. In the coming months, ExoSphere will have a ML-enabled feature that will provide a projection of the basement depth based on customers’ ANT survey results (example below). Customers will also be able to upload other insights they have about the lithology and geology of the area to enhance the prediction on the ExoSphere platform. This gives customers an efficient way to evaluate and visualise the potential basement depth of a project as part of their data-driven exploration efforts, according to the company.

Real-Time Diagnostics
Fleet Space’s patented, space-enabled seismic sensors (Geodes) have been deployed across the globe. As part of their deployment, customers will soon be able to review the diagnostics on each individual Geode used as part of a survey in real time to determine if any corrective measures should be taken to optimise their performance while in the field, the company says. Real-Time Diagnostics is a powerful tool for on-site teams to make quick adjustments to the Geodes without the need to remove them from the survey area which is common with other methods.

The addition of these new features follows several other additions to ExoSphere last year, including the Sensitivity Model, Data Processing Report and Source Data Pack.

Alongside this Exosphere announcement, Fleet Space Technologies announced that it has been named an industrial affiliate of Stanford University’s Mineral-X program – a premiere research organisation combining deep expertise in geoscience, resource optimisation, and artificial intelligence to enable a resilient and decarbonised mineral supply chain. Through this collaboration with Stanford University’s Mineral-X, Fleet Space aims to advance research, unlock innovation and accelerate humanity’s clean energy future leveraging space technology.

Fleet Space Technologies joins Ideon Technologies in being named as an industry affiliate of the program, who made a similar announcement in November last year.