Assessing the Potential of PlanetScope Imagery for Iron Oxide Detection in Antimony Exploration

The increasing demand for critical raw materials, such as antimony—a semimetal with strategic relevance in fire-retardant applications, electronic components, and national security—has made the identification of European sources essential for the European Union’s strategic autonomy. Remote sensing offers a valuable tool for detecting alteration minerals associated with subsurface gold and antimony deposits that reach the surface. However, the coarse spatial resolution of the most freely available satellite data remains a limiting factor. The PlanetScope satellite constellation presents a promising low-cost alternative for the academic community, providing 3 m spatial resolution and eight spectral bands. In this study, we evaluated PlanetScope’s capacity to detect Fe3+-bearing iron oxides—key indicators of hydrothermal alteration—by applying targeted band ratios (BRs) in northern Portugal. A comparative analysis was conducted to validate its performance using established BRs from Sentinel-2, ASTER, and Landsat 9. The results were assessed through relative comparison methods, enabling both quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the spectral similarity among sensors. Spatial patterns were analyzed, and points of interest were identified and subsequently validated through fieldwork. Our findings demonstrate that PlanetScope is a viable option for mineral exploration applications, capable of detecting iron oxide anomalies associated with alteration zones while offering finer spatial detail than most freely accessible satellites.