Rio Tinto & Fleet Space Collaborate to Advance Exploration at the Rincon Lithium Project

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Fleet Space Technologies, Australia’s leading space exploration company, today 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 100km2 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,” said Flavia Tata Nardini, Co-Founder & CEO of Fleet Space Technologies. “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 their commitment to using innovative technologies to enhance exploration, decarbonise value chains, and develop the Rincon Lithium Project to the highest ESG standards. 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 5km 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. As a result, ExoSphere was recognised at the Banksia Foundation’s 35th National Sustainability Awards as winner of the Climate Technology Impact Award for 2024 and winner of the Innovation category of the Mining Technology Excellence Awards 2024. Global adoption of ExoSphere has also fueled Fleet Space’s exponential growth over the past year, which included a A$50 million Series C, doubling of its valuation to A$350 million, and recognition as Australia’s fastest growing company.

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About Fleet Space Technologies

Fleet Space Technologies, Australia’s leading space exploration company, is revolutionizing critical mineral discovery with its end-to-end mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, which combines satellite connectivity, 3D multiphysics, and AI to image mineral systems in real-time. Over 40 leading exploration companies like Rio Tinto, Barrick Gold, and Core Lithium have used ExoSphere to conduct real-time surveys across five continents. Due to global demand for ExoSphere, Fleet Space’s international footprint has expanded to the US, Canada, Chile, and Luxembourg with over 130+ employees worldwide. Fleet Space was named “Australia’s Fastest Growing Company” by the Australian Financial Review in 2023 and recognized with the Climate Impact Technology Award by the Banksia Foundation in 2024. Reach out here to learn more about ExoSphere and speak with the Fleet Space team.

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