Vancouver-based explorer Inflection Resources says it’s “pioneering the use of space technology and AI” to advance the search for large-scale copper-gold deposits in the Macquarie Arc alkalic porphyry province of eastern Australia.
The minnow is using Fleet Space Technologies’ ambient noise tomography (ANT) seismic sensors and satellite-connected 3D data processing capability to try to increase both the reach and speed of initial exploration over a circa-1800-square-kilometre area that includes Duck Creek, north of Tomingley in New South Wales.
It says the technology has already helped it identify prospective geology beneath thick sedimentary cover at Duck Creek.
“Inflection had attempted a variety of geophysical survey techniques to explore for copper and gold in the basement rocks over the Duck Creek project area, however, the depth of post-mineral sedimentary cover and the conductivity of those sediments proved challenging,” management said.
“This led Inflection to deploy Fleet Space’s ExoSphere over the area, taking advantage of its high-resolution imaging to depths of 2.5km, which is indifferent to conductive elements in the sedimentary cover, including groundwater.
“The subsurface insights delivered by ExoSphere’s geophysical surveys at the Duck Creek project enabled Inflection to identify multiple new high priority drill targets.
“The 3D models generated by ExoSphere detected low-velocity zones in areas where earlier scout 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.”
Inflection has an agreement with AngloGold Ashanti under which the gold producer is stumping up A$10 million for exploration on Inflection’s ground. AngloGold can further fund individual programs to earn up to 75% of different projects.
Inflection engaged Fleet Space to collect large-scale, 3D subsurface data to help it identify “belt-scale architecture including potential cross-arc structures which are known to vector fluid flow and often influence the emplacement of large-scale intrusive bodies and mineral systems”.
CEO Alistair Waddell said: “The end-to-end capabilities of ExoSphere and the 3D subsurface insights it unlocked at our Duck Creek project … has demonstrated that the ExoSphere system can accelerate the data-driven exploration of our projects.”
The commercial space dimension of Adelaide-based Fleet’s business is its growing fleet of launched nanosatellites which connect with the Geodes (seismic sensors) and 3D data processing to speed remote-site decision making.
Fleet Space is also sending the SPIDER version of its seismic survey nodes to the Moon on Firefly Aerospace’s second lunar mission in 2026 as part of a NASA CLPS initiative.
In April this year it announced a successful deployment of its Centauri-6 satellite on SpaceX’s Bandwagon-1 mission, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
Fleet Space said adding Centauri-6 to its satellite constellation would boost its mineral exploration offering while also adding capacity to deliver advanced SATCOMs via microsatellite architectures.
