Fleet Space Technologies is making bold moves in global mining exploration, securing a four-year contract with Saudi mining giant Ma'aden.
This deal marks a major expansion into the Middle East, covering 12,012.6 km² of the Arabian Shield. The partnership will deploy ExoSphere, Fleet Space’s cutting-edge AI-driven subsurface imaging technology, enabling real-time 3D scans up to seven kilometres deep.
The collaboration strengthens Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 push for high-tech mineral exploration, with Fleet Space integrating its AI-powered drill targeting, Ambient Noise Tomography (ANT), and advanced seismic techniques across Ma'aden’s projects.
The company’s space-enabled tech, already used by Rio Tinto, Barrick, and AngloGold Ashanti, is set to disrupt traditional exploration models, making discoveries faster and more efficient.
Fleet Space’s low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network, combined with smart ground sensors and AI models, will deliver instant 3D subsurface insights to Ma'aden’s field teams.
Ma'aden CEO Bob Wilt called the deal a game-changer, accelerating data-driven mining operations while maintaining near-zero environmental impact.
“This exploration contract with the Fleet Space & Tahreez JV marks the beginning of a new chapter in the future of mineral exploration — one where the latest advances in space technology, real-time geophysics, and AI converge to build the mineral supply chains of tomorrow,” said Wilt. “By integrating Fleet Space’s cutting-edge, space-enabled exploration stack with our world-class operations, Ma'aden aims to set a new global benchmark in exploration data intelligence and build a faster, smarter, and more sustainable path forward for the global mining sector — fully aligned with the Kingdom’s bold transformation under Vision 2030.”
The initiative positions Fleet Space at the forefront of exploration intelligence, setting a new industry standard.
“How the most ambitious global mining companies use data to design and execute their exploration strategies is undergoing a phase transition ,” said Flavia Tata Nardini, Co-Founder & CEO of Fleet Space Technologies. “Space-enabled, real-time exploration is unlocking unprecedented speed, reach, and data quality — transforming mineral discovery into a dynamic, data intelligence-led system. Similar leaps to real-time data have produced breakthroughs like commercial space travel, autonomous vehicles, and AI, among many others. With this partnership, Ma'aden is set to unlock the most valuable untapped frontier of the data revolution: the global mining sector.”
Backed by a $100 million Series D funding round and the acquisition of HiSeis, Fleet Space is rapidly scaling its capabilities.
The company is now preparing to deploy SPIDER — its lunar exploration variant — on the Moon in 2026, expanding its space-enabled mining vision beyond Earth.
“What excites me most about this collaboration is the advanced mining technology expertise it will bring to the Kingdom,” said Francesco Fidicaro, Managing Director of Tahreez. “By embedding cutting-edge, space-enabled technologies into the heart of Saudi exploration, we’re also building something far more powerful: a generation of Saudi men and women equipped with the skills, mindset, and tools to lead this sector into the future. This is how you make mining the third pillar of the Saudi economy — not just with innovation, but with people who can wield it to drive meaningful, long-term progress.”
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