Gunnison Copper Corp (TSX:GCU, OTCQB:GCUMF) has signed a letter of intent with US-based defence and mineral sensing start-up Lunasonde to pilot the company’s aerial subsurface imaging technology across its copper-rich land in southeastern Arizona.
The partnership will give Lunasonde access to Gunnison’s extensive land package in the Cochise Mining District, a region thought to contain copper, rare earth elements, and other critical minerals, much of it hidden beneath deep layers of gravel and sediment.
The companies aim to assess whether Lunasonde’s airborne radar can detect buried mineralisation that would otherwise require costly and invasive drilling to find.
Stephen Twyerould, chief executive of Gunnison, said: “Geology like that of the Cochise Mining District has been known to host at least 12 of the critical minerals so important to the US supply chain, yet most of this geology lies, unexplored, beneath thick alluvial cover.
"We are delighted to explore this partnership with Lunasonde, whose technology has the potential to see through this cover and make new discoveries.”
Lunasonde’s founder and chief technology officer, Jeremiah Pate, described the project as a rare opportunity to demonstrate how the company’s radar can “accelerate critical mineral exploration”.
The companies are expected to apply jointly for funding under the United States Department of Energy’s ROCKS initiative, a federal program aimed at supporting new technologies in ore characterisation.
Any future collaboration will depend on finalising definitive agreements, securing DOE support, and other standard conditions.
Gunnison controls 12 known deposits within an 8 km radius in Arizona’s Southern Copper Belt, including its flagship Gunnison Copper Project.
That asset hosts over 830 million tonnes of measured and indicated resources with an average copper grade of 0.31%. A 2024 preliminary economic assessment valued the asset at US$1.3 billion, with a 21% internal rate of return and a four-year payback period.
Gunnison also operates the nearby Johnson Camp mine, now in production under a funding agreement with Nuton, a Rio Tinto venture. The site is expected to produce up to 25 million pounds of copper cathode per year.
Lunasonde, based in the United States, is developing radar technology capable of high-resolution underground mapping from aircraft and satellites, with potential uses in commercial exploration, defence, and even planetary research.