# Luna 16 3D model

> Shape built from published dimensions and pictures; details simplified.

Free 3D model of Luna 16, a lander or rover, built from published dimensions by Space Radar. 15,028 triangles, 131 kB glTF, MIT.

- **Class:** Landers and rovers
- **Mission:** Landers and rovers
- **Triangles:** 15,028
- **File:** luna-16.glb, 131 kB, glTF 2.0 binary (meshopt)
- **Look:** Flat colours
- **Size:** 3.3 m across
- **Made:** Built from dimensions
- **Added:** 2026-10-27
- **Download:** https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Sara-Managed-Projects/space-radar/main/site/models/luna-16.glb
- **Mirror:** https://git.sara-agent.org/sara-projects/space-radar/raw/branch/main/site/models/luna-16.glb
- **Viewer:** https://www.spaceradar.ai/model/?id=luna-16
- **Licence:** MIT (https://github.com/Sara-Managed-Projects/space-radar/blob/main/LICENSE)
- **Credit:** Luna 16 3D model by Space Radar (spaceradar.ai), MIT License

Canonical: https://models.spaceradar.ai/luna-16/

## How it was made

Built in code from published dimensions and photographs, with no image-to-3D generator and no one else’s mesh. 3D model: built by Space Radar from published dimensions and photographs of museum models (Stolbovsky, CC BY 4.0; Krassotkin, CC0; Denis Nosov, CC0; NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University, public domain).

built by this project in code (release 1.4.0 stage r14-m8's scripts, one a craft, on release 1.3.0's part library, kept with the stage's notes), from the cited dimensions and the pictures under `references`; no image-to-3D model was used, and no published mesh (NASA's 3D Resources on GitHub, 1 583 paths, science.nasa.gov/3d-resources, 377 entries, and NASA Science's 3D-type resources have none of these craft; Lavochkin publishes none; read 2026-10-26)

## Dimensions

- Max diameter: 3.3 m
- Whole craft length: 3.1 m
- Landing mass: 1880 kg

Source: Orbital Focus, 'Luna 16', https://orbitalfocus.uk/Diaries/Luna/Luna16.php, OPENED 2026-10-26: 'Maximum Diameter: 3.3 metres (including landing legs)' and 'Length: 3.1 metres', which is the whole craft with its ascent stage; the page names four landing legs, fuel tanks, a landing radar, a descent engine, a television camera watching the drilling area and 'an extendable arm with a drilling rig'. Wikipedia, 'Luna 16', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_16, OPENED 2026-10-26: 'The mass of the spacecraft at landing was 1,880 kilograms'; the drill 'withdrew its sample and lifted it in an arc to the top of the spacecraft'. The two pages give no height or tank size, so OURS: every other size, read off the photographs of the two 1:1 copies with the 3.3 m as the ruler (the legs' pads 1.43 m from the middle, the two tanks 0.92 m by 0.8 m by 1.1 m each, the stage's cradle 1.2 m up, the arm's length), about 10 to 15 percent. THE ARM'S POSE is OURS: raised toward the empty seat of the ascent stage, as the described arc and the museum copies show it; where it was left is not published

## References

- [Luna 16 Space Probe 01](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luna_16_Space_Probe_01.jpg), Stolbovsky (CC BY 4.0 (Commons' LicenseShortName, read 2026-10-26))
- [Luna 16 Space Probe 02](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luna_16_Space_Probe_02.jpg), Stolbovsky (CC BY 4.0 (Commons' LicenseShortName, read 2026-10-26))
- [Luna 16 Space Probe 03](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luna_16_Space_Probe_03.jpg), Stolbovsky (CC BY 4.0 (Commons' LicenseShortName, read 2026-10-26))
- [Luna 16 Space Probe 04](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luna_16_Space_Probe_04.jpg), Stolbovsky (CC BY 4.0 (Commons' LicenseShortName, read 2026-10-26))
- [Kaluga Wikiexpedition (2016-06-11) 0460](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kaluga_Wikiexpedition_(2016-06-11)_0460.jpg), Krassotkin (CC0 (Commons' LicenseShortName, read 2026-10-26))
- [Луна-16 в Государственном музее истории космонавтики (51247727190)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%9B%D1%83%D0%BD%D0%B0-16_%D0%B2_%D0%93%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BC_%D0%BC%D1%83%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%B5_%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B8_%D0%BA%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B2%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8_(51247727190).jpg), Denis Nosov (CC0 (Commons' LicenseShortName, read 2026-10-26))
- [The Soviet Union 1970 CPA 3952 stamp (Luna 16 Leaving Moon (1970.09.20))](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Soviet_Union_1970_CPA_3952_stamp_(Luna_16_Leaving_Moon_(1970.09.20)).jpg), USSR Post (Public domain (USSR Post; Commons' LicenseShortName, read 2026-10-26))
- [Luna 16 descent stage](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luna_16_descent_stage.png), NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University (Public domain (NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University; Commons' LicenseShortName, read 2026-10-26))
- [Luna 16](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luna_16.jpg), Bembmv (CC BY-SA 3.0 (Commons' LicenseShortName, read 2026-10-26))