The next-generation Centauri-7 and Centauri-8 spacecraft blasted off as part of SpaceX’s huge Transporter 12 rideshare mission on Tuesday, which carried 131 payloads in total.
Fleet’s “ExoSphere” product has led the company to be named one of Australia’s fastest-growing companies, boasting clients such as Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold, and Core Lithium.
It effectively allows mining companies to both speed up the hunt for minerals and reduce costs by lowering the need for invasive land surveying.
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The two new Centauri satellites are the ninth and 10th launched by the South Australian-based company and come nine months after it launched its last spacecraft, Centauri-6.
Fleet Space Technologies founder Flavia Tata Nardini said new technologies incorporating artificial intelligence and big data are necessary to address the dual challenges of space exploration and climate change.
“By making these new capabilities rapidly deployable in a way that complements modern mining operations on a global scale, ExoSphere is charting a course to transform the exploration sector and accelerate mineral discovery before net zero targets fall permanently out of reach,” she said.
The launches come weeks after the company announced it had raised a further $150 million, which it said would be invested in improving its technology.
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The rare “series D” funding round is a dramatic increase from the $5 million, $35 million and $50 million brought in through its A, B and C rounds, respectively.
“Current mineral exploration methods are inadequate for efficient discovery and production,” said Rick Prostko from investor Teachers’ Venture Growth.
“Fleet Space addresses this with advanced 3D subsurface imaging and AI analysis tools, which have the potential to sustainably transform the industry.”
Aside from mineral detecting, the firm, which specialises in nanosatellites, is also creating a device known as SPIDER that could detect minerals on the moon’s south pole.
The SPIDER project – Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration and Research – will see Fleet build a three-component seismic station to record continuous seismic data for up to 14 days. It’s set to be deployed in 2026.
“The convergence of innovation in space, AI, and 3D subsurface imaging represents a foundational pillar of the core technology set that will enable humanity to build permanent research stations on the moon, Mars, and beyond,” said Matt Pearson, Fleet’s chief exploration officer.
“The flywheel we’ve created, by continuously enhancing the subsurface understanding of Earth through the global deployment of ExoSphere simultaneously, drives advances in the technology needed to build highly scalable, data-driven exploration systems for new worlds.”
The Transporter 12 rideshare mission also included Varda’s W-2 capsule, which will soon touch down at South Australia’s Koonibba Test Range.
Adam Thorn
Adam is a journalist who has worked for more than 40 prestigious media brands in the UK and Australia. Since 2005, his varied career has included stints as a reporter, copy editor, feature writer and editor for publications as diverse as Fleet Street newspaper The Sunday Times, fashion bible Jones, media and marketing website Mumbrella as well as lifestyle magazines such as GQ, Woman’s Weekly, Men’s Health and Loaded. He joined Momentum Media in early 2020 and currently writes for Australian Aviation and World of Aviation.
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