Space & AI: Unifying the exploration journey to accelerate mineral discovery
The power of AI is poised to reveal high-dimensional geological patterns from vast datasets at a scale and speed unprecedented in the history of mineral exploration.
The latest advances in space technology, 3D multiphysics, and AI are driving unprecedented insight, predictive capabilities, and more sustainable outcomes across the exploration value chain, according to the International Future Mining Conference 2024 keynote speaker, Dr Hemant Chaurasia.
As the Chief Product Officer at Fleet Space Technologies, Dr Chaurasia is on the forefront of innovation driving widespread adoption of real-time exploration capabilities among leading explorers around the world. In this exciting Q+A, Dr Chaurasia outlines the technologies driving the paradigm shift toward real-time, end-to-end exploration and the opportunities being unlocked with the enhanced speed, precision, and sustainability they deliver on a global scale.
What will your keynote presentation at #FutureMining2024 address?
We have reached a tipping point in humanity’s search for the minerals needed to scale clean energy technologies. A powerful wave of innovation in space technology, 3D multiphysics, and AI is driving a paradigm shift in mineral discovery, enhancing the speed, precision, and sustainability of exploration on a global scale. ExoSphere - Fleet Space’s end-to-end mineral exploration solution powered by space and AI - marks a major shift in the arc of mining innovation. With direct-to-satellite connectivity, edge computing, and AI-powered targeting - global mining leaders are pioneering capabilities previously believed to be impossible: real-time exploration, end-to-end. Join us at my keynote to learn more about the radical new paths to discovery, forged by Earth’s most powerful new technologies in space, machine learning, and real-time 3D data insight, and how they will help unlock our planet’s clean energy future.
What key points do you hope delegates will take away from your keynote presentation?
Fleet Space’s end-to-end mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, has been used to conduct hundreds of surveys across five continents for global mining leaders like Barrick Gold, Rio Tinto, and Core Lithium. Whether it’s enhancing data-driven copper exploration for Barrick Gold at their Reko Diq project or conducting the world’s largest real-time exploration survey across 1800 Km²+ of Inflection Resources’ projects in the Macquarie Arc - space and AI are enhancing exploration outcomes with near-zero environmental impact worldwide. And this is only the beginning, the power of AI is poised to reveal high-dimensional geological patterns from vast datasets at a scale and speed unprecedented in the history of mineral exploration.
“With space and AI, we have a chance of getting back on track to build the sustainable future our planet so desperately needs.”
As we prepare for the challenges of the future, how can the mining sector utilise aerospace technologies to advance mining operations?
Today, the average time it takes to identify and operationalise a new mine is 16 years (IEA). In addition to discoveries being more difficult to find, there are multiple structural challenges in the exploration lifecycle that delay the path to discovery, leading to increased costs and lower success rates. Historically, the data flow between each stage of the exploration journey has been highly fragmented, leading to extended delays between the data acquisition, processing, and decision making steps of exploration. Onsite teams then face the challenge of interpreting vast and diverse exploration datasets acquired from a variety of different sources and techniques - often taking long periods to analyse and determine targets. By combining space technology, 3D multiphysics, and AI into a single end-to-end solution, ExoSphere closes these gaps, delivering actionable data insights in real-time at every stage of the exploration journey. Real-time satellite connectivity combined with AI to rapidly process vast and diverse multimodal exploration data is charting a course for exploration to become more dynamic, adaptive and accurate with less environmental footprint at scale.
What changes have you seen throughout your career, and do you have any predictions for the future?
The increased accessibility of space enabled by advanced satellite technology and launch partners like SpaceX are opening new pathways for profound innovation across sectors on Earth. In parallel, AI algorithms, data, and compute have grown exponentially in recent years, fueling fundamentally new data-driven capabilities in autonomous driving, healthcare, and many other industries. This is driving a windfall of new capabilities for the exploration industry to navigate an acute shortage of energy transition minerals, skyrocketing demand for clean energy technologies, and a decrease in new discoveries. The future will inexorably lead toward a deeper integration of space and AI into global mining operations as a bulwark to these current macro conditions, ultimately becoming indispensable technologies in the exploration toolkit. It’s incredibly exciting to watch this paradigm shift as a result of increasing global adoption of Fleet Space’s ExoSphere solution.
What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming conference?
I’m looking forward to standing side by side with global exploration leaders to continue the industry-wide conversation on the pressing need for accelerated mineral discovery, powered by space technology and AI. At current rates of production, net-zero is unattainable. With space and AI, we have a chance of getting back on track to build the sustainable future our planet so desperately needs.
Don’t miss Dr Hemant Chaurasia’s keynote presentation at the International Future Mining Conference 2024
Set to explore transformative technologies, champion innovation and push the boundaries of possibility, the exemplary three-day technical conference program features keynote presentations from renowned global experts, 100+ technical paper presentations, 5 interactive panel sessions and two conference networking events.
Join future-focussed mining professionals as we delve into the 2024 themes: innovations, energy innovations, mining in extreme environments and unconventional deposits, sustainable mining and future skills and workforce evolution.
Join co-hosts AusIMM and UNSW in Sydney from the 2—4 September