Exploring Smarter, Not Harder: Kuniko Turns to Space Data
Smarter Mineral Exploration from Space
Kuniko is a mineral-exploration company committed to supplying Europe with zero-carbon battery metals like nickel, cobalt, copper, and zinc. Operating in Norway’s challenging terrain, the company faces a familiar problem: traditional mineral exploration is time-consuming, costly, and limited by harsh winter conditions that restrict time available for field campaigns.
As part of the EUSPA Pilot project, Kuniko partnered with Poland-based EO analytics startup TerraEye to develop a remote sensing solution for prioritising exploration targets. By leveraging Copernicus Sentinel-2 data, enriching it with additional geospatial datasets, and building onto TerraEye’s existing platform, the team was able to identify high-potential mineral zones before setting foot in the field.
Commercial Benefits
The Pilot project showed just how transformative satellite data can be, providing Kuniko with an actionable and scalable solution for prioritising exploration targets. The satellite-based analysis—identifying mineral-related spectral signatures and vegetation-stress patterns—pinpointed several high-probability targets, which were later confirmed through field validation.
Operationally, Kuniko can now prioritise its field activities with greater precision, reducing unnecessary site visits and lowering exploration costs. The approach also improves safety by minimising the time teams spend in remote and hazardous terrain.
Environmentally, the impact is equally meaningful. By narrowing down vast exploration areas, the solution reduces the need for extensive on-the-ground surveys, cutting fuel use, limiting disturbance to sensitive habitats, and lowering Kuniko’s overall footprint.
Why It Matters
The EU’s demand for sustainably and locally sourced battery metals continues to grow as we move away from fossil fuels and toward clean energy systems. Satellite-enabled exploration aligns strongly with EU ambitions to accelerate access to critical raw materials: it simplifies the process, cuts emissions, and delivers clear commercial benefits.
“Using space data opens new doors in terms of how we can explore our mineral deposits on a large scale. And then going into the field, we can be more targeted and more efficient in actually doing the mapping, which is usually quite time-consuming work for our geologists,” said Mona Schanche, COO at Kuniko.
By pairing geological expertise with Copernicus satellite data, Kuniko is demonstrating how Europe can discover the minerals it needs—faster, cleaner, and smarter.
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