
LunaSonde
LunaSonde represents a new facet in space enterprises by creating low-cost spacecraft for subsurface Earth, Lunar and Asteroid observation.
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Total Funding | 000k |
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Established in 2016 by Jeremiah Pate, Lunasonde is a company focused on subsurface imaging from space. Pate conceived the idea while still in high school and later developed it as a student at the University of Arizona, inspired by a visit to a decommissioned copper mine and the realization that the earth's underground remained largely unmapped. The company's name, Latin for "moon explorer," reflects its long-term vision of applying its technology to explore resources beyond Earth, such as on the Moon and asteroids.
Lunasonde is developing a satellite constellation equipped with proprietary low-frequency synthetic aperture radar (SubSAR) technology to create three-dimensional maps of the subsurface, reaching depths of up to two kilometers. This technology is designed to detect underground resources like water aquifers and mineral deposits remotely. The company's technical approach involves miniaturizing low-frequency radar, which traditionally requires very large antennas, to fit on small satellites. After a period of intensive research and development, the company has undertaken several test flights on SpaceX rideshare missions and plans to launch its first full-tech 6U satellite, named San Xavier.
The firm primarily targets the mining and water resource management sectors. For mineral exploration, Lunasonde operates on a royalty-based business model, partnering with mining companies to identify new deposits and taking a share of the long-term value of the discovered resources, a common arrangement in the mining industry. In the water sector, the company aims to offer data services on a subscription basis, providing four-dimensional data that tracks changes in water resources over time. This service has applications for monitoring water scarcity, discovering untapped fossil aquifers, and potentially contributing to humanitarian efforts. Lunasonde also identifies the defense sector as a potential market for applications like detecting underground facilities. The company has received non-dilutive funding from the National Science Foundation and has established partnerships with entities like AWS for data processing and Exolaunch for satellite deployment.
Keywords: subsurface imaging, satellite radar, resource exploration, mineral detection, water mapping, synthetic aperture radar, SubSAR, geological resources, deep earth imaging, space technology, mining partnerships, royalty model, aquifer discovery, Jeremiah Pate, Earth observation, remote sensing, satellite constellation, natural resource data, subsurface data, space mining, asteroid resources, lunar exploration, critical minerals, water scarcity solutions