The leading drone manufacturer in Russia, "Geoscan," announced the start of work on a project aimed at creating detailed 3D models of the Moon and Mars using two satellites. The models of celestial bodies will become indispensable tools in studying the fourth planet and the Earth's natural satellite, as well as in planning future missions. Work on the project will take at least five years, but the exact timing is not yet known.
Compact cubesats equipped with high-resolution cameras, Morozov plasma engines, and Agisoft Metashape software were used to create the 3D copies. The latter has already proven its effectiveness in creating three-dimensional models on Earth.
First, the satellite will fly to the Moon. It will enter a low Earth orbit and, using a plasma engine, will reach the polar orbit of the celestial body in two months. From this altitude, the device will photograph the surface with a resolution of 2 m/pixel. In a year, it will collect about 30 TB of information. To enable the satellite to orient itself in space, it will be equipped with star sensors, an optical vertical reference, and a clock that will be synchronized with Earth time. Images from different points will be transmitted to Earth in the optical range. More detailed shooting of individual objects from low orbit is planned.
Next, the satellite will go to photograph Mars. The flight to the Red Planet will take at least six months. Observation will be carried out with a resolution of 12 m/pixel, which will allow obtaining about 4 TB of data.
Researchers use two methods to transmit information:
- through the optical range;
- using a returnable vehicle (it will be able to deliver data to near-Earth orbit, then to Earth).
All the technologies needed for the work have already been tested and are used in Russia. The project is completely domestic and promising.
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