Fleet Space awarded contract to harness seismic data on the Moon

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 its terrestrial success in deploying direct-to-satellite seismic arrays that help find the critical mineral, Fleet is now venturing into the celestial realm, harnessing this capability to create a device tailored for lunar and Martian exploration. The 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.

Fleet Space has been chosen for the project Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration and Research (SPIDER). 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.

The seismic station is supported by a consortium of partners from industry, government and academia across Australia. DUG Technology, Adelaide University, Titomic, the Department of Education SA, and researchers Professor Hrvoje Tkalčić from the Australian National University and Prof. Dr. Anya M. Reading from the University of Tasmania.

Fleet Space’s proposal was among 10 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.

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,” he said. “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.”

“The projects being supported show just some of the many ways that space technologies are improving how we live and how we work,” said Enrico Palermo, Head of the Australian Space Agency. “By helping Australian organisations like Fleet to develop their space heritage, they can break into new markets and supply chains, and take their innovative Aussie technology to the world. That will help them to grow, keep their ideas in Australia and generate more employment opportunities here.”

The 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 funding round followed the company’s success in commercialising its ExoSphere satellite-based mineral exploration technology worldwide. Fleet said it is committed to expanding its highly skilled workforce in Australia and around the world, creating a 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.