Russia to create first ever 3D Moon map to help decide where cosmonauts will land

Russia is creating the first ever topographic three dimensional map of the Moon to help decide where cosmonauts will land in future journeys to Earth’s natural satellite.

The director of the Russian Space Research Institute Anatoly Petrukovich announced the plan on Sunday, saying the map will be created using stereo imaging and it will have a resolution of two to three meters.

"After the work of the American satellites, we have planar maps of the Lunar surface, but here, using stereo processing and light analysis, we will get a universal altitudes map of the entire Moon with high accuracy,” he said.

The map will allow Russian researchers to study lunar structures and their origin, and will provide crucial detail for future manned and unmanned Moon missions.

Petrukovich said the map will have a number of advantages over current “flat” maps, including giving greater detail and accuracy on elevation heights.

Russia has plans to send a series of rovers to the moon over the course of the next decade. The first mission, Luna-25, is scheduled to launch in October 2021. The groundbreaking survey will be created thanks to the Luna-26 orbiter, which will take off in 2024.

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