The P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (FIAN) has received a patent for an innovative design of an astronomical observatory intended for deployment on the surface of the Moon. The project involves delivering equipment from Earth using a launch vehicle and implementing one of three assembly scenarios on the lunar surface.
According to the documentation, the first version of the observatory includes a central module with a landing platform, solar panels, and a control system, as well as at least four antenna modules located inside lunar craters. These modules are connected to the main unit via power and data transmission lines. Mobile robotic platforms can detach from the main module to automatically install the connections.
In the second and third versions, each antenna module is considered autonomous: it is equipped with its own landing platform, solar panels, and the possibility of remote wireless control. A feature of the third scenario is the presence of a removable mobile platform that can move across the surface after landing and carry additional solar panels. Both of these options include Cassegrain antennas and heat shields for operation in extreme conditions.
All modules are launched into lunar orbit by a launch vehicle, after which they make a targeted landing: in the first case, the main module in a solar zone, the antennas in shady craters; in the second and third, all elements are placed in illuminated areas of the Moon.