How Satellite Exploration Works: Steps and Buyer FAQ

You send the boundary of your licence. A few weeks later you get back a ranked list of places inside it that look worth sampling or drilling first. Everything in between is done from space, with no site visit and no one walking your ground. This page follows that path one step at a time and answers the questions our sales team hears most from licence holders: is it real, will it work on my mineral, how deep does it see, and when do I pay.

The short version: you provide an area, a country and a mineral. Farmonaut reads several kinds of satellite data over that area, scores every patch of ground for signs of that mineral, and delivers a report in 5 to 20 business days. The result is a set of exploration targets. It is not a resource estimate.

What you send, and what you get back

Three things are needed to start:

• The area: a KML or KMZ file, a drawn polygon, or the corner coordinates of the licence. Licence documents usually list the corners.
• The country or region, so the analysis uses the right terrain and season.
• The mineral or minerals you want to look for. Each mineral has its own signature on the ground, so the choice shapes the whole analysis.

You do not need to own the land, visit it or ask anyone for access. What comes back is a PDF report plus map files you can open in common GIS software: priority zones ranked by confidence, the geology around them (faults, altered rock, host rock), estimated depth ranges, indicative quantity and an indicative grade range. A good way to see the layout before you ask for anything is the sample report page.

Six steps from coordinates to ranked targets

1. You share the boundary and the mineral

Send the KML, KMZ or polygon through the quote form. Farmonaut checks the area, the country and the mineral, then replies with a quote and the delivery time for your size of project. We recommend at least 10 acres, which is about 4 hectares.

2. Payment is confirmed

You pay by PayPal, a secure payment link or a US bank transfer. Work starts once payment is confirmed, because the data for your area is bought and processed for you alone.

3. The right satellite data is chosen and pulled

For your mineral and terrain, the team picks the data that shows it best. Some minerals show up well in ordinary multispectral images. Others need the shortwave-infrared bands that separate clay and mica minerals in altered rock. The next section lists what is used.

4. Every pixel is scored

The area is cut into small squares, 10 m on a side for the sharpest layer. Each square is scored for the things that usually go with your mineral: altered rock, iron staining, fault lines, bare ground, heat patterns and so on. The scores are combined into one prospectivity map, a heat map of how likely each patch is to be worth a visit.

5. Zones are drawn and ranked

Squares that score high and sit together become target zones. Each zone gets a rank and a confidence tier, so your team knows which two or three to visit first instead of facing a long list. Seasonal checks help weed out zones that only look good in one time of year.

6. The report is delivered

You receive the PDF and the georeferenced files, with the coordinates of every zone. Hand them to your geologist, load them on a phone for fieldwork, or put them in front of a possible partner.

Which satellites and data are used, in plain words

No single satellite sees everything, so the analysis combines several. The table below follows the method section of our sample report, with public agency facts alongside. Which layers are used depends on the mineral and the terrain.

The pixel sizes above describe how fine the image is across the ground. They are not a depth. Depth comes from the modelling that sits on top of the images, covered below.

How long it takes

Delivery is 5 to 20 business days from confirmed payment. A single mineral on a modest area sits near the short end. Large areas and several minerals at once take longer, because more data has to be pulled and checked. When you send the boundary, the quote includes the time for your case, so you can plan fieldwork around it.

A satellite pass happens before the ground crew goes out, so it can narrow where they look first. How the three method families differ is set out in satellite vs geochemistry vs geophysics.

What the 90%+ figure refers to, and what drilling still does

Farmonaut quotes 90%+ accuracy on ranked target zones. It refers to zones that clients have tested on the ground or by drilling and reported back on. It is not a promise about your ground: nothing in exploration is guaranteed, and the zones are ranked by confidence so you test the best ones first. You can read what clients reported on the case studies page and in the write-up of what the results looked like.

The report maps surface and near-surface signatures down to an estimated depth of about 225 to 250 m; sampling and drilling confirm what is actually there. The figures are exploration targets, not a resource or reserve under JORC, NI 43-101 or SAMREC.

After the report arrives

A sensible next move is to give the top zones to a geologist, check access and licence conditions, then plan soil sampling, trenching or pits on the best-ranked zones. Our guides to cadastre portals by country and the Tanzania licence guide help with the paperwork, and the page on small-scale and artisanal permits covers the smaller titles. Rules differ by country, so check with the ministry before you apply or start work.

If you want help on the drilling side, the Premium+ report adds drilling-angle recommendations and a 3D model of the vein structures and mineral spread, with next-step guidance. Standard reports give the ranked zones and a commercial conclusion. For a wider look at how satellites are used for this work, see remote sensing methods compared and the satellite detection overview.

Frequently asked questions

Is this real, or is it a scam?

Farmonaut is a US-based satellite data company, founded in 2018. You can check the work before you decide: the case studies page shows real projects, and the sample report page shows the layout of a finished report with the client details removed. You only pay after you have seen your own quote, by PayPal, a secure payment link or US bank transfer.

Do you cover my country and my mineral?

Farmonaut has worked in 25+ countries on 20+ minerals, including gold, copper, lithium, silver, cobalt, nickel, rare earths and gemstones. Oil and coal are also covered. Because every analysis is run for the boundary you send, any country is possible, and you can ask about a particular mineral in the quote form.

My area is small. Is it still worth it?

We recommend at least 10 acres, about 4 hectares. Smaller plots are not refused.

How deep does it see?

The analysis estimates mineralisation to about 225 to 250 m. These are estimates built from surface and near-surface signatures, meant to guide where you sample or drill. They are not drill results.

Will the report give me the grade?

The report gives ranked targets with estimated depth, quantity and grade. These are indicative figures from satellite data, not assay results. A confirmed grade, such as grams per tonne, only comes from a lab test of real samples, and the satellite report tells you where to take those samples.

How accurate is it?

Farmonaut quotes 90%+ accuracy on ranked target zones, based on ground or drill results that clients reported back. It is not a guarantee for any single project. The ranked list is there so that your first samples go on the highest-confidence zones.

What do I need to send?

A KML, KMZ, polygon or the corner coordinates of the licence, the country and the mineral. That is all. No site visit or permission from the landowner is needed for a satellite analysis.

How long does it take?

5 to 20 business days from confirmed payment, depending on the size of the area and the number of minerals. Your quote gives the time for your own case.

How do I pay, and can I pay after I see the result?

You can pay by PayPal, a secure payment link or US bank transfer. Payment is confirmed before the analysis starts, so paying after the result is not possible. The data for your area is bought and processed up front.

Can I see a sample first?

Yes. The sample report page shows what a finished Farmonaut satellite mineral report looks like, and the case studies show how clients have used theirs. The sample is a finished report with the client details removed, not a scan of your property.

Do you do ground surveys, buy my mineral or land, or find investors?

No, and it is better to say so now. Farmonaut does satellite analysis only: it does not visit sites, sample soil, drill, buy or sell minerals or land, invest, or arrange joint ventures or investors. What it does give you is a clear technical report that you can show to a geologist, a partner or an investor, so the conversation starts from evidence.

Will a bank, ministry or investor accept the report?

The report is an exploration-targeting document. It is not a JORC, NI 43-101 or SAMREC resource statement. It is meant to help you decide where to spend on sampling, and to give partners technical evidence. For formal reporting standards, check what your bank, ministry or investor requires.