CsI crystal
BlueCap integrates the 3 × 9 inch shock-resistant scintillation detector as part of the complete airborne system.
BlueCap Australia
Drone Radiometric Survey
BlueCap drone radiometric surveys use the Medusa MS-1000 gamma-ray spectrometer to deliver traceable K, eU, eTh and total-count mineral mapping.
BlueCap delivers drone radiometric survey and gamma-ray mapping services for mineral exploration across Australia and worldwide. Low-level mission design, Medusa MS-1000 acquisition, spectral processing and reviewable K, eU, eTh and total-count products remain inside one BlueCap-operated workflow.
Medusa MS-1000 in one BlueCap survey system
BlueCap integrates the Medusa Radiometrics MS-1000 gamma-ray spectrometer with the aircraft, mission design, field crew, live detector view and controlled data workflow. The client commissions a survey and defined geological products — not an unsupported sensor rental.
Passive gamma-ray spectrometryThe detector records naturally occurring radiation; it does not transmit gamma energy into the ground.
Sensor mass
The complete mission payload must also include mounting, cabling, power and integration hardware.
Recording rate
The system records five spectra per second; this does not mean five statistically independent final maps every second.
Detector envelope
The physical envelope is included in BlueCap mounting, balance, clearance and aircraft-integration checks.
Internal storage
Onboard capacity provides substantial headroom for long field records while project data is also controlled through the BlueCap workflow.
Instrument protection
BlueCap plans inside the instrument operating range of −20 to +65 °C while applying separate aircraft and mission weather limits.
BlueCapHeli® model integration
The MS-1000 is integrated into BlueCap's 3-hour and 8-hour BlueCapHeli® models. Mounting, balance, vibration, airflow, 25 V power, communications, landing clearance and safety are qualified as complete aircraft configurations.
1000 ml CsI detector
The scintillation crystal records the energy distribution of gamma photons with the efficiency required for drone-scale ground mapping.
mDOS field view
Detector storage and near-real-time review support acquisition checks and reflight decisions without replacing final processing.
Traceable handover
Source spectra, position, processing parameters, grids, tables, QC decisions and exceptions remain connected in the project record.
Why BlueCap integrates the Medusa MS-1000
A larger scintillation volume can improve count statistics when geometry and integration time are equal. It also consumes payload margin and can change speed, altitude or endurance. BlueCap therefore compares detector material and volume, flight-installed mass, synchronisation and quality control together — not model name or kilograms alone.
BlueCapHeli® payload screen9.5 kg
BlueCap selected and integrated the MS-1000 for its current service configuration. Within the MS-700, MS-1000 and MS-2000 family, it provides the largest detector volume that remains within BlueCapHeli®'s 9.5 kg payload screen at a 6.7 kg instrument mass.
Smaller Medusa class Medusa MS-700
4.7 kg700 ml CsI · 3 × 6 inch
- Mass basis
- Instrument mass is 4.7 kg. Mount, cable, power and mission hardware still require a complete flight-installed mass check.
- Data chain
- mDOS, GammAn, GNSS/PTH, 16 GB storage, JSON/NMEA/CSV and 5 Hz recording in the Medusa ecosystem.
- Project meaning
- About 2.0 kg lighter than the MS-1000, with 300 ml less CsI volume. It can suit an integration where payload margin matters more than detector size.
- 9.5 kg screen
- Below the screen at instrument level; the complete installed configuration must still be weighed and qualified.
BlueCap integrated configuration Medusa MS-1000
6.7 kg1000 ml CsI · 3 × 9 inch
- Mass basis
- Instrument mass is 6.7 kg. BlueCap separately accounts for mounting, cabling, power, communications, balance and operational margin.
- Data chain
- 1000 ml CsI, GNSS/PTH, internal storage, mDOS and GammAn form a field-to-processing chain BlueCap has integrated and qualified.
- Project meaning
- The selected balance of useful detector volume, aircraft payload margin, traceable data and practical low-level drone operation.
- 9.5 kg screen
- The 2.8 kg arithmetic difference is not confirmed spare payload after integration; the complete aircraft configuration remains the engineering basis.
Larger Medusa class Medusa MS-2000
11–12 kg2000 ml CsI · 90 × 310 mm
- Mass basis
- Instrument mass is 11–12 kg, already above the payload screen before integration hardware is added.
- Data chain
- mDOS, GammAn, GNSS/PTH and 16 GB storage, in a configuration positioned primarily for vehicle-mounted survey work.
- Project meaning
- Double the MS-1000 detector volume does not make the system flight-compatible when the instrument alone exceeds the aircraft payload screen.
- 9.5 kg screen
- Does not pass BlueCapHeli®'s initial 9.5 kg payload screen.
Two external instruments for context, not a purchasing ranking
RS-530 and GS-1 are lighter instruments, but their detector material, volume, aircraft platform, software and integration basis differ. The comparison explains engineering trade-offs; it does not assume the systems will produce equivalent results.
Radiation Solutions RS-530
3.0 kg0.39 L NaI(Tl) · 3 × 3 inch · K, U and Th spectral system
- Mass basis
- The detector and spectrometer assembly is 3.0 kg. A complete common-basis flight mass for mount, cable, CPU, GNSS and external power is not itemised.
- Data chain
- 12 keV–3 MeV range, natural-radioelement stabilisation, embedded GPS and RadAssist altitude correction and NASVD tools.
- Project meaning
- A lighter instrument with a smaller, different detector and data environment. Mass alone cannot demonstrate equivalent data quality or production.
- Comparison gap
- A complete flight-installed comparison on the same mass basis remains unverified.
Geoscan GS-1
2.6 / 2.8 kg0.34 L NaI(Tl) or 0.40 L CsI(Tl)
- Mass basis
- The NaI(Tl) version is 2.6 kg and the CsI(Tl) version is 2.8 kg. A complete integration inventory on the same basis as BlueCap's configuration remains unverified.
- Data chain
- 30 keV–3 MeV range, internal storage, IP67 protection and field software in the Geoscan 401 Gamma system.
- Project meaning
- A lighter drone payload with a smaller detector and its own aircraft and data chain, not a direct substitute for BlueCap's MS-1000 workflow.
- Comparison gap
- Instrument mass is below 9.5 kg, but the complete integration and equivalent synchronised QC fields are not established on a common basis.
- Useful count statisticsDetector material and volume are considered with altitude, speed, integration time and the required spatial product.
- Installed flight massInstrument mass is only the start; mount, cable, power, communications, balance and safety margin all count.
- Synchronised recordSpectrum, GNSS, pressure, temperature, humidity and aircraft geometry must remain traceable by observation time.
- QC and deliverablesCalibration, corrections, reflight decisions, K–eU–eTh products, metadata and interpretation limits are agreed before mobilisation.
From a gamma spectrum to K, eU and eTh maps
The MS-1000 records a full gamma-energy spectrum at each observation. Calibrated window analysis or Full Spectrum Analysis can estimate the relative contribution of potassium, equivalent uranium and equivalent thorium, together with total count and agreed ratio products.
Potassium
Can help distinguish lithologies, potassium-rich alteration or surface materials where the geological contrast is strong enough and independently checked.
Equivalent uranium
A radiometric estimate based on decay products and equilibrium assumptions — not a direct uranium assay or radiation-safety determination.
Equivalent thorium
Can support mapping of parent material, regolith and lithological variation while remaining sensitive to surface conditions.
Total count and ratios
Total count and ratios such as K/eTh, eU/eTh or eU/K can highlight contrasts when calibration, corrections and metadata remain intact.
Where radiometric contrast can add context
Lithological boundaries
Compare surface units whose radioelement signatures differ enough to complement field mapping.
Alteration context
Test potassium or ratio patterns against an alteration model rather than treating colour contrast as mineralisation.
Regolith and parent material
Add context to weathering, transported cover and near-surface material changes alongside terrain and samples.
Uranium screening
Identify near-surface radiometric contrast for specialist follow-up without replacing assay, equilibrium review or safety controls.
Click a channel and see where it lives in the spectrum
Each mapped element is estimated from a standard energy window on the recorded spectrum. Select a channel to highlight its window and the photopeak it is anchored to.
1.37–1.57 MeV · K-40 at 1.46 MeV
Potassium is measured directly from its own K-40 decay. In mapping it responds to potassium feldspar, micas and potassic alteration — a primary vector in many hydrothermal systems.
Windows follow the standard IAEA airborne gamma-ray spectrometry convention — potassium at the 1.46 MeV K-40 photopeak, equivalent uranium at the 1.76 MeV Bi-214 photopeak, equivalent thorium at the 2.62 MeV Tl-208 photopeak. The drawn spectrum is an illustrative shape for reading the windows, not project data.
Low, slow and designed for enough counts
Productive area cannot be separated from gamma count statistics. Aircraft speed, terrain clearance, line spacing, footprint, background concentration and required map resolution must be designed together before line-kilometres or daily production are quoted.
Our terrain-following setpoint keeps the detector above typical tropical and subtropical tree height while preserving useful near-surface response.
Clients normally select 25 m or 50 m lines for the required product. In some cases, 100 m spacing is used for draft mapping.
Stable terrain-relative ground speed balances productive area with consistent spectral acquisition; 20 km/h is the sensor operating maximum.
The detector records five spectra per second; count uncertainty and processing determine usable information density.
BlueCap treats detector power endurance separately from each BlueCapHeli® flight leg, fuel plan and total mission duration.
BlueCapHeli® supplies a controlled 25 V feed to the integrated detector, with approximately 3 W average and 6 W maximum demand.
Area, spatial resolution and spectral certainty move together
BlueCap uses a controlled acquisition geometry rather than selecting an arbitrary value from a sensor range. The three settings below are designed as one system.
Inputs required to design the survey
Polygon, CRS and terrain
Area, relief, take-off sites, obstacles, exclusion zones and legal operating constraints define the feasible geometry.
Geological decision
The target model, expected dimensions and decision the map must support determine whether radiometric contrast is useful.
Existing evidence
Geological, geochemical, magnetic, LiDAR, DEM and previous radiometric data show the actual information gap.
Delivery and acceptance
Required K–eU–eTh products, resolution, raw data, formats, metadata and QC criteria are agreed before mobilisation.
From raw spectrum to reviewable maps
A radiometric delivery should not collapse source spectra into a few attractive rasters. Every mapped product must remain traceable to observation time, GNSS, detector state, flight geometry, correction parameters, spectral method, grid settings and the QC decisions applied to the project.
Acquisition integrity
Review timing, GNSS, detector state, flight gaps, altitude, speed and spectral behaviour before accepting each sortie.
Detector and background
Check live/dead time, energy stability, background, drift and the calibration information applicable to the configuration.
Environmental effects
Consider altitude, air density, atmospheric radon, moisture and changing surface conditions where they affect comparability.
Spectral separation
Apply the agreed window analysis or Full Spectrum Analysis with calibration and stripping parameters preserved in the record.
Levelling and gridding
Generate consistent K, eU, eTh and total-count products without smoothing away narrow contrasts or concealing seams.
Technical review
Record software version, exceptions, acceptance criteria, reproducibility information and the limits of interpretation.
A mapped result plus the evidence needed to review it
K · eU · eTh · total count · ratiosSource and processed tables
Spectra, time, position, detector state and agreed corrected values in documented machine-readable formats such as JSON, NMEA or CSV where applicable.
Spatial products
K, eU, eTh, total-count and approved ratio grids, rasters, contours or vectors with CRS, datum, cell size, units and no-data definition.
QC and metadata
Processing record, calibration references, parameters, reflight notes, exceptions and interpretation cautions required for defensible reuse.
KpotassiumeUequivalent uraniumeThequivalent thorium
Useful near-surface evidence, not an orebody claim
Airborne gamma response is affected by distance to the surface, soil moisture, vegetation, cover, radon, terrain, material distribution and count statistics. Radiometric products become valuable when they answer a defined geological question and are checked against independent evidence.
Atmosphere / radonSoil · rock · regolithGamma response is dominated by near-surface material
Not a laboratory assay
Radiometric K, eU and eTh do not replace sampling, laboratory QA/QC, direct uranium chemistry or a geochemical model.
Not a universal depth detector
The signal is dominated by near-surface material; deep targets or targets beneath substantial cover may not create a direct surface signature.
Not immune to surface conditions
Moisture, transported cover, vegetation, sensor height and atmospheric radon can weaken or change the measured response.
Not a resource statement
An anomaly does not establish orebody geometry, grade, thickness, tonnage, a mineral resource or an ore reserve.
Use each survey layer for the question it can answer
Drone radiometric survey
Near-surface radioelement variation, lithology, regolith and alteration context.
Drone radiometric survey and K–eU–eTh mappingDrone magnetic survey
Magnetic susceptibility contrast, structures, intrusions and deeper-source architecture.
High-fidelity drone magnetic surveyDrone LiDAR mapping
Terrain, vegetation structure, access geometry and controlled low-level flight planning.
Drone LiDAR survey and terrain mappingIntegrated mineral exploration
Connect geophysics, terrain products, project evidence and specialist follow-up around one exploration decision.
Integrated mineral exploration survey services
These are the acquisition parameters BlueCap uses to design and deliver the service. The client confirms the required line spacing and outputs before final route release; BlueCap controls the AGL setpoint, stable mapping speed, aircraft integration, field QC and processing workflow.
Calculate an indicative survey cost, schedule and mobilisation →
Project enquiry
BlueCap Starts with the Survey Decision
We use the Portal to turn your survey polygon into a quote-ready BlueCap project, review DEM-aware 2D and 3D mission design, follow field acquisition, and keep processing outputs and deliverables in one client workspace.
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