NASA's new AVIRIS-5 scans Earth to spot lithium-rich mineral zones

NASA’s new airborne sensor, AVIRIS-5, is revolutionizing mineral exploration by scanning Earth from 60,000 feet aboard a NASA ER-2 aircraft. This advanced imaging spectrometer detects the spectral fingerprints of minerals, clays, and other compounds by analyzing sunlight reflected from the surface. As part of the Geological Earth Mapping Experiment (GEMx), AVIRIS-5 has logged over 200 flight hours across Western U.S. states, mapping lithium-rich rocks and other critical minerals with twice the spatial resolution of its predecessor, capable of distinguishing features as small as 30 centimeters from 11 miles up. The project, in partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), represents the largest airborne mineral-mapping campaign in the U.S. and supports the broader Earth MRI initiative aimed at modernizing surface and subsurface maps to identify resources vital for energy, manufacturing, and national security. A key early success of AVIRIS-5 includes detecting hectorite, a