Before this detection activity, scientists had launched several artificial satellites in advance, trying to use remote sensing technology to discover mineral deposits exposed on the surface. Over the past few days, most of the data of the entire planet had already been collected, and indeed, many types of minerals had been found.
However, the demands for minerals were high, not just in terms of abundance but also in terms of transportation considerations. It was not possible for the mineral deposits to be scattered about, one here, one there; if each site was thousands of kilometers apart, transportation would be troublesome. It was preferable to have them concentrated within a radius of one hundred kilometers. This would greatly simplify railway construction.
Due to the reliance on satellite detection, the accuracy decreased with increasing depth. Most of the minerals on the planet were hidden underground, so another simple technology still had to be relied upon—planetary impact!
