Next-gen AI mineral exploration

Fleet Space has announced a series of partnerships to develop advanced quantum sensors to fuel the growth of AI-powered mineral exploration.

The collaboration with mDetect, Nomad Atomics and DeteQ, will advance acquisition and processing speed of geophysical datasets to build an innovation path for muon tomography to become a valuable input for enhancing the geological predictions of modern AI systems.

As part of the company’s expansion of its vertically integrated ExoSphere platform, Fleet Space is also partnering with Stanford’s Mineral-X and MIT’s Space Exploration Initiative.

Fleet Space chief executive Flavia Tata Nardini says for the global mining industry to achieve its potential as an industry leader in exploration data-intelligence, it must build the deep technologies and infrastructure that integrate breakthrough sensing modalities into a unified system.

“With our ExoSphere platform, Fleet Space has created the next-generation of satellite-connected geophysical methods while also investing in the development of frontier technologies like quantum gravimetry and muon tomography to enhance the predictive power of AI in exploration on a planetary scale,” she said.

“Pursuing this mission is critical so humanity doesn’t have to accept trade-offs between technological innovation, clean energy and venturing deeper into our solar system.”

As global mineral supply chains diversify, demand for material inputs required for the energy transition and advanced technology manufacturing continues to rise dramatically.

Using ExoSphere, companies including Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO), BHP (ASX: BHP) and Gold Fields have accelerated exploration and unlocked geological insights across their operations.

Fleet Space’s partnerships represent a new landscape for mining companies to explore and enhance production by equipping their field teams with more sustainable, low-impact, space-enabled exploration technologies and AI.

Space Fleet chief scientist Dr Gerrit Olivier says the partnerships bring laboratory-grade precisions into a hand-held package.

“When we fuse these quantum measurements with passive muon tomography, seismic imaging, and conventional gravity data inside our joint-inversion framework, we obtain an unprecedented 3D picture of the subsurface, from regional reconnaissance right down to drill-ready targets,” he said.

“The same toolkit is being readied for off-planet prospecting.

“Compact quantum sensors and muon detectors will fly on upcoming asteroid-scout missions, allowing humanity to map the interior structure and resource potential of metal-rich bodies that were impossible to reach until recently.”