Fleet Space Technologies has appointed Dr. Gerrit Olivier to play a key role in the company’s mission to unlock the power of satellite connectivity to make critical, mineral exploration on Earth and beyond a more sustainable and viable transition.
This is central to Fleet’s mission to further the cause of finding less impactful, and more cost-effective, methods to locate the vital energy transition minerals required to meet the global requirement to transition to net-zero.
Dr. Olivier is former Director and Head of Applied Geophysics at the Institute of Mine Seismology and Senior Adjunct Researcher at the Centre for Ore Deposits and Earth Sciences at the University of Tasmania. He is a pioneer of the use of ambient seismic noise based methods for use in the mineral and materials exploration industry. He completed his MSc in Theoretical Physics at the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) and his Ph.D. in Geophysics at the Université Grenoble Alpes (France) and is the holder of numerous awards for his work in ambient seismic tomography. The move to Fleet is testament to a sustained commitment to expanding its use for mineral exploration.
Dr. Olivier said, “The world is rapidly transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. To achieve this goal, the IMF states we need to find $13 trillion worth of critical energy transition minerals. To achieve this, we must discover many more mineral deposits in increasingly more challenging settings. Fleet’s ExoSphere technology answers the urgent call to unlock the power of new exploration methods to quickly, more economically and more sustainable look deeper beneath the surface.”
Dr. Oliver will also work toward Fleet’s mission to unlock the power of global connectivity through its smallsat network on the Moon and Mars. The ExoSphere technology will eventually be applied to rovers that will search for critical minerals as part of moon and mars mission including the Seven Sisters program Fleet has long committed to.
Dr. Olivier is leading the team that aims to deploy a geophysical device on the dark side of the Moon by 2025 that will improve our understanding of its interior composition and formation. The team’s goal is to land tens of miniature, geophysical rovers that can image the interior structure of Mars to illuminate the mineral resources that will be required for future colonisation efforts. The development of these technologies are anticipated to have massive knock-one benefits for the way we explore critical minerals on Earth.
Transitioning to green energy will require enormous deposits of critical resources and Fleet is determined to use its space technology to plot more economically viable, faster and sustainable pathways to achieving this. The solution is ExoSphere, a pioneering exploration technology that delivers detailed subsurface 3D velocity mapping in as little as 4 days using an array of Geodes, Fleet’s satellite connected seismic sensors.
The battery operated Geodes use edge computing to analyse ambient seismic noise, which is sent by satellite for processing. The data is rapidly processed in the cloud to deliver a 3D visualisation of the area and drive critical exploration decisions.
This combination of three radical technologies, ambient noise seismic tomography, low power satellite connectivity and intelligent processing is already empowering explorers of the Earth, Moon and Mars to access the resources needed to make a better future for humanity.
ExoSphere has just reported successful results from trials at Australia’s newest Lithium miner Core Lithium’s Finniss Project in the Northern Territory. This technology is being rolled out globally through collaboration with the world’s largest and most progressive explorers and is supporting the global effort to find more than $13trillion USD (as defined by the International Monetary Fund) value in these rare earth materials to support global sustainability goals.
This global success is built from a culture of innovation, executed in collaboration with South Australia’s ecosystem of leading space technology and advanced engineering companies. From its base in Adelaide, Fleet has pioneered the use of additive manufacturing (3D printing) to drive cost and production efficiencies in the manufacture of satellites. This includes Fleet’s forthcoming planned constellation of 288 smallsats, including Alpha, which will integrate the company’s advanced beamforming technology and patented antennas to unlock greater connectivity more quickly and in more locations.
In December 2021, Fleet also announced its commitment to establishing a hyper factory in Adelaide’s landmark ‘Australian Space Park’ development. This is with the support of the South Australian Government, which committed AUS$20 million to Australia’s first dedicated space manufacturing hub. The AUS$66 million Australian Space Park in which Fleet Space Technology will build a Hyper Factory will be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
Fleet Space Technologies is one of Australia’s leading space companies. It is headquartered in Adelaide, South Australia, the centre of the country’s rapidly growing space industry. Fleet also has a global presence including a US HQ in Houston Texas, the home of NASA. Fleet is rapidly expanding its satellite constellation to provide limitless data and global reach to realise the potential of millions of Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This is informed by a vision that will see Fleet deliver connectivity on the Earth, Moon and Mars in collaboration with the world’s leading space agencies and innovative companies. Customers around the world and in a multitude of sectors already trust Fleet to meet their challenges by harnessing the power of global connectivity and the most innovative technologies.
