Critica Limited Reports Multiple High-Grade Rare Earth Intersections at Juno Satellite Deposit, Enhancing Brothers Project in Western Australia

District-Scale Rare Earth Strategy and Jupiter’s Central Role

Critica Limited is dedicated to exploring and developing rare earth mineral resources across its district-scale Brothers Rare Earth Project in Western Australia. The company’s flagship asset, the Jupiter Rare Earth Deposit, is described as Australia’s largest clay-hosted rare earth resource. Jupiter remains Critica’s immediate development focus, with extensive metallurgical flowsheet development underway to establish a processing pathway for this primary resource.

The Brothers Rare Earth Project covers a large land area extending well beyond Jupiter, offering significant district-scale exploration upside. Critica’s strategy involves identifying and assessing satellite deposits across the broader project area that could complement future development plans centered on Jupiter. This approach aims to create multiple avenues for resource growth, enhanced mine planning flexibility, and potential feed blending opportunities as the project progresses. The discovery of the Juno Prospect as a promising satellite deposit underscores the strategic value of Critica’s expanded regional landholding.

Juno Prospect Location and Geological Context Within Brothers Project

Situated approximately 50 kilometres southeast of the Jupiter Rare Earth Deposit, the Juno Prospect lies within Critica’s Brothers Rare Earth Project. The recent drilling program targeted extensions of previously identified clay-hosted rare earth mineralisation and evaluated the broader potential of the Juno intrusion. Results confirm clay-hosted rare earth mineralisation across an extensive area of about 45 square kilometres, positioning Juno as a potentially significant satellite deposit within the project.

Juno’s proximity to Jupiter and the mineralogical similarities identified through recent analysis suggest it could serve as a complementary asset in future development planning. The scale and regional location of Juno mineralisation indicate it may enhance the long-term value of the Brothers Project by offering resource growth and increased development flexibility. The drilling successfully intersected multiple zones of shallow rare earth mineralisation, validating the satellite deposit concept within Critica’s portfolio.

High-Grade Rare Earth Intersections from Juno Drilling

The Juno regional drilling program comprised 30 air core (AC) holes totaling 1,249 metres. Significant high-grade rare earth intersections were recorded, including 14 metres at 3,053 ppm TREO from 44 metres depth in hole BRAC383, 20 metres at 2,155 ppm TREO from 40 metres in hole BRAC392, and 24 metres at 2,147 ppm TREO from 24 metres in hole BRAC399. Additional notable intersections included 16 metres at 2,117 ppm TREO from 20 metres and 17 metres at 1,825 ppm TREO from 24 metres depth. A total of 10 selected significant intersections were reported, with mineralisation depths ranging from 20 to 44 metres.

The shallow, high-grade intersections support the economic viability of potential future development at Juno. Mineralisation extends over a large area, reinforcing the satellite deposit’s scale. Supplementary tables include further significant intersections beyond the highlighted 10. The consistency of high-grade zones across multiple drill holes indicates a robust mineralised system suitable for resource definition and development planning.

Mineralogical Alignment Between Juno and Jupiter Favors Shared Processing

Preliminary mineralogical analysis using a TESCAN Integrated Mineral Analyzer (TIMA) identified REE phosphate minerals within a gangue dominated by kaolinite, quartz, feldspar, and iron oxides at Juno. This mineralogy matches that of the Jupiter deposit, supporting the likelihood that Juno mineralisation will be compatible with the metallurgical flowsheet under development for Jupiter. This alignment enables potential integration of satellite deposits into future development plans and suggests a common processing pathway for both deposits.

Magnet Rare Earth Oxide (MagREO) percentages, representing higher-value rare earth elements, range from 20% to 25% of total TREO at Juno, consistent with Jupiter’s profile. This similarity further supports applying Jupiter’s metallurgical flowsheet to Juno mineralisation. The mineralogical findings indicate that feed blending strategies could be employed, allowing mineralisation from Juno and other satellites to be processed at a common facility designed around Jupiter’s processing requirements. This shared mineralogy offers a strategic advantage by simplifying development planning and optimizing processing economics.

Strategic Advantages of Satellite Deposits for Development Flexibility

The discovery of additional high-grade mineralisation at Juno reinforces the value of Critica’s district-scale landholding and aligns with the company’s goal to identify satellite deposits that complement Jupiter’s future development. Such deposits provide strategic benefits including resource growth beyond Jupiter’s current base, enhanced mine planning flexibility for optimized extraction sequencing, and production scheduling.

Additional benefits include feed blending opportunities to improve metallurgical recovery, potential optimization of development pathways to enhance project economics, and further exploration upside across the Brothers Project. While Jupiter remains the primary development focus, Juno could increase the Brothers Project’s long-term value through resource expansion and development flexibility. The mineralogical consistency between Juno and Jupiter supports integrating satellite mineralisation into a unified development approach, reducing technical risks and simplifying project planning compared to separate processing facilities.

Western Australian Government Co-Funds Exploration Drilling via Exploration Incentive Scheme

The Juno drilling program received support from the Western Australian Government’s Exploration Incentive Scheme (EIS), which co-funded approximately 50% of approved drilling and mobilisation costs. This assistance lowered Critica’s financial burden and highlights government recognition of the importance of rare earth exploration in Western Australia. The EIS program is a vital funding source that accelerates Critica’s regional exploration efforts within the Brothers Project.

Government co-funding underscores the strategic significance of rare earth resources to Western Australia and Australia’s economy. By sharing approved exploration costs, the EIS enables companies to undertake larger drilling programs than otherwise possible, speeding discovery and resource definition. Critica’s success in securing 50% co-funding for Juno drilling indicates compliance with program criteria and suggests potential eligibility for future exploration support.

Pending Aurora Prospect Drilling Results and Ongoing Regional Exploration

Critica’s regional exploration at Juno and Aurora aligns with its broader strategy to identify additional rare earth centres within the Brothers Project to support future development. Drilling at the Aurora prospect has recently concluded, with assay results pending. These will be reported after validation and interpretation. The timing of Aurora results release was not specified, but completing drilling at this second satellite prospect demonstrates Critica’s systematic exploration approach across the district-scale project.

Ongoing exploration at multiple prospects reflects Critica’s commitment to building a pipeline of satellite deposits to underpin future development scenarios. The successful identification of high-grade mineralisation at Juno provides a model for evaluating other satellites. Aurora represents the next exploration target, and its pending results may further illuminate the extent of rare earth mineralisation across the Brothers Project. This systematic evaluation maximizes Critica’s flexibility in selecting optimal long-term development pathways.

Next Steps in Juno Evaluation and Metallurgical Testing

Critica plans several key activities focused on advancing the Juno satellite deposit. These include detailed geological interpretation of recent drilling to better understand mineralisation geometry and distribution. Additional mineralogical and metallurgical studies will confirm Juno’s processing characteristics and assess feasibility of integrating Juno material with Jupiter’s processing systems.

Preliminary metallurgical testwork on selected Juno samples is a priority, aimed at validating mineralogical findings and establishing processing parameters. Critica will also evaluate processing and feed blending options to determine if satellite deposits can be economically processed alongside Jupiter material. These steps represent a progression from initial mineral assessment to detailed technical evaluation, laying the groundwork for resource definition drilling and development planning if results support advancing the Juno satellite concept.

Exploration Potential and Resource Growth Across Brothers Project

The Brothers Rare Earth Project is a district-scale landholding with substantial exploration upside. The discovery of high-grade mineralisation at Juno, 50 kilometres southeast of Jupiter, confirms multiple centres capable of hosting economic rare earth deposits within the project area. Critica’s strategy to systematically explore satellite deposits aims to build a pipeline supporting resource growth and long-term development.

Jupiter is the first major deposit evaluated and developed, but additional prospects like Aurora—with drilling complete and results pending—highlight the district-scale rare earth system. Evaluating multiple satellites provides Critica with optionality in development scenarios, enabling selection of the most economic pathways to convert resources into production. This exploration-led approach offers a strategic advantage over companies focused on single deposits by creating multiple avenues for shareholder value through resource growth and development upside.

Impact on Critica’s Long-Term Development Strategy and Project Economics

Confirming high-grade rare earth mineralisation at Juno significantly influences Critica’s long-term development strategy and the Brothers Project’s economic potential. A satellite deposit with mineralogy compatible with Jupiter’s flowsheet suggests future development could integrate multiple sources, improving economics via expanded feedstock options and optimized mine planning. Juno’s potential to enhance project value through resource growth and development flexibility is emphasized.

The shallow, high-grade mineralisation supports favorable mine planning and extraction. Consistent mineralogy across Juno’s 45 square kilometre area supports defining substantial resources. While Jupiter remains the immediate priority, Juno’s role as a complementary satellite deposit could extend mine life, increase total resources, and provide development flexibility. Together, these factors indicate the Brothers Rare Earth Project could evolve into a multi-centre operation supporting long-term production and shareholder value, contingent on successful resource definition, metallurgical development, financing, and permitting.