Fleet Space & NASA Advance Off-World Research in Arctic Circle

Advancing the science for humanity’s spacefaring ambitions is central to our mission at Fleet Space Technologies. Recently, we joined NASA on two expeditions to the Haughton Impact Crater in the Arctic Circle. At this site, Fleet Space’s real-time seismic sensors (Geodes) were field tested with the TRIDENT drill in lunar and martian simulate environments as part of NASA’s Mars Exploration through Analogue-site Drilling (MEAD) initiative. Together, these agile geoscience technologies represent key enablers for future planetary exploration, laying the foundation for off-world technologies needed to develop a sustainable human presence on the Moon and Mars.

Haughton Impact Crater | Devon Island, Arctic Circle

Haughton Impact Crater: A Desolate Scientific Marvel

Referred to by scientists as ‘Mars on Earth’, the Haughton Impact Crater is one of the most remote impact sites in the world. Located on Devon Island, the world’s largest uninhabited island, the Haughton Impact Crater was formed by the collision of an asteroid or comet around 23 million years ago in the Miocene epoch. The colossal impact and shockwave generated from its collision with the Earth’s surface left a crater measuring about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) in diameter and 1.7 kilometers (1 mile) deep.

Incinerated and pulverised, the local geology instantaneously became a cauldron of melted rock and testing ground for planetary scientists millions of years later. The NASA Haughton Mars Project (HMP) has conducted pioneering interdisciplinary research on Devon Island to develop the technologies and strategies needed to support robotic and human missions to the Moon and Mars. With vast ice cover, sediment composition, and harsh conditions of the region - Haughton is believed to be the only impact structure in a polar desert environment, ideal for research purposes and the testing of advanced off-world technologies. 

Pioneering Off-World Exploration Technologies

As a participant across two expeditions to Haughton Crater, in 2024 and 2025, Fleet Space conducted the parallel deployment of off-world drilling and seismic sensing technologies in analogue conditions of the Moon and Mars. Outfitted in an Extravehicular Mobility Unity (EMU) - otherwise known as an authentic astronaut suit - a member of the Fleet Space team also experimented with purpose-built variants of the smart seismic sensors (Geodes) used in Fleet Space’s terrestrial exploration technology (ExoSphere), designed with custom, astronaut-specific handles for seamless manual deployments. 

Prior to the HMP expedition, Fleet Space collaborated with NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on research initiatives, which included the company’s smart seismic sensors used at Galena Creek glacier in 2023, another terrestrial planetary analogue, and in simulated deployments of the TRIDENT drill at the NASA Roverscape Testing Facility in April and May 2024.

Custom Lunar Geodes Built For Manual Astronaut Deployments | Haughton Impact Crater

‍Moon & Mars: Why Imaging Impact Craters Matters
As part of the expeditions, Fleet Space deployed Geodes to conduct ambient noise tomography across the Haughton Crater - a key agile geoscience solution for building a 3D picture of its subsurface structure. Additionally, a closely spaced array of sensors was co-deployed with the TRIDENT drill, using the drill’s own noise as seismic sources. This approach is being developed to support real-time, data-driven drilling operations, while providing valuable scientific insights into the near-surface environment and demonstrating how seismic and drilling technologies can work together to unlock off-world resources. 

In 2024, Fleet Space pioneered the use of ExoSphere sensors to deliver real-time 3D imaging of the Volcan De La Corona and Jameo De la Puerta Falsa lava tubes in the Canary Islands - similar to structures observable around the three volcanos in the Tharsis region of Mars and skylights from lava tubes visible on the Moon. Not only does this help scientists understand the developmental history of Earth, the Moon, and Mars but it’s also vital for refining the technologies and operational needs of future planetary missions.

Expanding the Frontier of Space Exploration

Collaboration with global space leaders and leading research institutes - such as NASA, Haughton Mars Project, and MIT Media Lab’s Space Exploration Initiative  - represents Fleet Space’s efforts to further the progress of exploration missions on Earth, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. In 2026, a historic first step will be the deployment of Fleet Space’s lunar seismic technology - SPIDER - on the Moon. The first Australian seismic technology to land on the Moon’s surface, SPIDER is a lunar variant of Fleet Space’s real-time 3D subsurface imaging deployed globally on Earth as part of its ExoSphere platform. On the Moon, SPIDER will be used to search for water ice and unlock vital insights about the geological properties of the lunar subsurface.  

SPIDER | Fleet Space's Lunar Seismic Sensor For Blue Ghost Mission 2

Charting Unknown Paths to Discovery

Fleet Space’s frontier exploration technologies are pushing the boundaries of off-world research in the Canary Islands’ lava tubes, Galena Creek Rock Glacier in Wyoming, and in the heart of the Haughton Impact Crater deep in the Arctic Circle. Alongside world renowned explorers and innovators from NASA and SETI Institute - the journey to advance discovery on Earth and beyond transcends borders and disciplines, driving humanity to push deeper into the mysteries of our universe. To this end, Fleet Space will lead science expeditions to Earth’s polar zones to test the next generation of off-world technologies needed to make data-driven decisions about the structure, objectives, and required capabilities of future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

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