Australian space exploration firm Fleet Space Technologies has been awarded a $4 million contract with the Australian Space Agency for its Moon to Mars: Demonstrator program.
Building on their terrestrial success in deploying direct-to-satellite seismic arrays that find the critical minerals needed for the energy transition, Fleet Space is now venturing into the celestial realm, harnessing this capability to create a device tailored for Lunar and Martian exploration.
This endeavour is being facilitated by the Australian Space Agency, financing the demonstration mission on a Commercial Lunar Payload Services delivery. This will be the first step of 7 Sisters, an Australian mission to explore the Moon and Mars for the benefit of all humankind.
Fleet Space has been chosen for the project Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration and Research (SPIDER).
Fleet Space’s proposal was among ten projects selected to share in $40 million under the Demonstrator Program of the Moon to Mars initiative. The funding is designed to assist companies to get their technologies ready for space.
The grant contract will assist Fleet Space to build the geophysical devices to enable resource exploration for future human habitation as part of a government initiative to back a series of local space innovations, including those that can help address climate change.
In a significant advancement for lunar exploration, the SPIDER, a three-component seismic station, is set to be deployed on the surface of the Moon’s South Pole.
Designed to record continuous seismic data for up to 14 days, the device will be launched aboard a commercial lander. This achievement will showcase the potential for developing compact geophysical instruments and revolutionise future lunar and Martian exploration missions.
This seismic station is supported by a consortium of partners from industry, government and academia across Australia, including DUG Technology, Adelaide University, Titomic, the Department of Education SA, and esteemed researchers from the Australian National University, Professor Hrvoje Tkalčić, and from the University of Tasmania, Prof. Dr. Anya M. Reading.
Fleet chief exploration officer and co-founder Matthew Pearson said the contract would help the company to continue to pursue innovative ways of improving the space industry, “The successful delivery of this project will demonstrate the ability to produce geophysical devices for future lunar and Martian geophysical exploration missions”.
“Fleet is currently deploying several direct to satellite seismic arrays and intends to leverage this Earth capability into a device suitable for lunar and Martian environments. The solution is non-invasive and super scalable and can potentially be mounted to mini rovers for future missions.
“The Demonstrator Mission Grant aligns perfectly with Fleet’s belief that space enables us to achieve new things to deliver positive outcomes right here on earth. We are explorers with a mission to revolutionise mineral exploration from Earth to the Moon and Mars. Fleet’s world leading technology is locating minerals that are critical to the future of humanity.”
This contract follows the announcement in May 2023 that Fleet Space Technologies had successfully completed its heavily oversubscribed Series C fundraising round, raising a total of $50 million.
The substantial amount more than doubled the company’s valuation, now surpassing $350 million. The funding round followed the company’s outstanding success in commercialising its revolutionary ExoSphere satellite-based mineral exploration technology worldwide.
Fleet Space Technologies has also said it is committed to expanding its highly skilled workforce in Australia and around the world, creating a genuine legacy for Australia and the wider global space industry.
Fleet Space Technologies has also recently secured a contract with Australia’s Defence Space Command, which will see its commercial satellites used to develop and demonstrate a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications system.
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