Although the Moon is relatively well-researched, the picture documentation when both the Apollo spacecraft and Russian lunar rovers landed on the celestial body was only made by US satellite LRO.
To conduct the theoretical study and initial mathematical calculations that will help to determine the key characteristics of a future spacecraft, the group will need at least 1 million rubles ($15,300), Ivanov said, revealing that they have already started to gather the money using the crowdfunding platform Boomstarter.
"We'll try to create the project for a small and low cost satellite, so that it'd be possible to organize to a non-state organization of professional engineers and enthusiasts who don't have a multi-billion dollar budget," Ivanov said.
The launch of the future satellite will take place with a lunar spacecraft, launched by Russia, India or China. This will allow the group to save on building a separate launching missile which is extremely costly to build.
