Fleet Space, an Australian startup, has significantly expanded the projected scale of a major lithium deposit in Quebec using its proprietary AI-powered satellite technology. The discovery underscores a growing trend toward faster, more efficient mineral exploration driven by space-based intelligence.
The Challenge of Mineral Discovery
Traditional mineral exploration is notoriously slow and expensive. For every 1,000 potential deposits identified, only about three prove commercially viable, and proving viability often requires years of drilling and analysis. This makes lithium – a critical component in electric vehicle batteries and energy storage – particularly difficult to secure, despite soaring demand.
Fleet Space’s Approach: AI in Orbit
Fleet Space bypasses many of these hurdles by deploying a small constellation of satellites equipped with advanced sensors, including electromagnetic and gravity detectors. These sensors map the subsurface without invasive drilling. The raw data is then fed into Fleet Space’s AI platform, which identifies high-potential drilling targets within 48 hours. This dramatically reduces decision-making time, from weeks under traditional methods to just days.
Cisco Project Expansion & District-Scale Potential
The current Cisco project, where Fleet Space deployed its tech, now estimates a potential yield of up to 329 million metric tons of lithium oxide. More importantly, Fleet Space asserts that the lithium deposits may extend well beyond Cisco’s current boundaries. The company suggests the wider region possesses “district-scale potential,” hinting at further significant finds.
This breakthrough highlights how AI and satellite technology are reshaping mineral exploration, making it faster, cheaper, and more likely to yield results in areas where traditional methods fall short. The ability to rapidly identify drilling targets is crucial in a market where lithium demand continues to outpace supply.
The implications of this discovery extend beyond Cisco itself, indicating that similar untapped lithium reserves could be located across other geological formations with the same AI-driven approach. This shift could accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy storage, provided the technology scales effectively.
