Saudi Arabia’s state-owned mining giant Ma’aden has signed a major contract with Australia’s Fleet Space Technologies to deploy advanced space-based exploration tools across 12,012 square kilometers of high-priority sites in the Arabian Shield.
This deal follows a memorandum of understanding signed between the two companies in January and marks a significant expansion of Fleet Space’s footprint in the Middle East. The exploration initiative will be carried out through a regional joint venture with Saudi security solutions provider Tahreez.
Central to the project is Fleet Space’s ExoSphere platform—a vertically integrated system combining low Earth orbit satellites, intelligent ground sensors, and AI-powered analytics. The platform enables high-resolution, real-time 3D imaging of subsurface geology up to 7 kilometers deep, supporting Ma’aden’s strategy for accelerated and sustainable growth.
The four-year agreement will leverage this cutting-edge geophysical technology to enhance exploration efforts with minimal environmental impact. Already trusted by global mining leaders such as Rio Tinto, Barrick, Gold Fields, and AngloGold Ashanti, the ExoSphere platform has delivered actionable insights across five continents.
“This exploration contract with the Fleet Space and 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,” Ma’aden CEO said Bob Wilt said in a news release.
“By integrating Fleet Space’s exploration stack with our operations, Maaden 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.”
