Copernicus DEM
A free global 30 m elevation model built from the German TanDEM-X radar mission: our first look at terrain and slope anywhere on Earth.
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Beyond Earth
The original high ground.
From orbit, satellites measure the height, movement and wetness of Earth’s surface in fine detail. On the Moon, the most valuable sites are, once again, the high ones. The logic of high ground is going interplanetary.
From orbit to parcel
Space already powers high-ground screening.
Most of the data behind a modern elevation screen comes from orbit. These missions make it possible to look at terrain, ground movement and water anywhere on Earth, at little or no cost.
Sentinel-1 and EGMS
Radar satellites detect ground motion of millimetres per year. Europe’s Ground Motion Service maps subsidence and uplift across the continent.
GRACE-FO
Twin satellites sense tiny changes in Earth’s gravity to track groundwater storage across regions: an early signal of aquifer depletion.
SWOT
Launched in 2022, it measures the height of rivers, lakes and seas from space, improving flood models where river gauges are sparse.
ICESat-2
A laser altimeter that measures ground and tree heights, helping separate forest canopy from true terrain.
NISAR
The NASA–ISRO radar mission, launched in 2025, maps ground deformation, landslides and soil moisture worldwide.
The Moon’s prime sites
On the Moon, elevation decides too.
At the lunar south pole the Sun skims the horizon. Low ground sits in shadow, some of it for billions of years, while high crater rims and ridges catch sunlight for much of the year. That makes height the deciding factor for where long-term outposts can work.
High ground on Earth
High ground on the Moon
Above flood and surgeHeight keeps water away from the asset.
Above the shadowSunlit rims offer near-continuous solar power.
Dry lifelinesRoads, power and fibre that stay connected.
Line of sight to EarthElevated sites keep direct radio contact, with Earth low on the horizon.
Secure water supplyAquifers and rivers within reach.
Ice next doorWater ice in nearby permanently shadowed craters, confirmed by NASA’s LCROSS impact in 2009.
Stable, gentle slopesDrainage without landslides.
Safe landing and buildingGentle slopes and few boulders for landers and habitats.
A better microclimateCooler, ventilated air.
Milder temperature swingsSunlit rims avoid the extreme cold of shadowed craters, which can fall below −230 °C.
Where the first outposts are heading. NASA’s candidate landing regions for its first crewed Artemis landing all sit near the lunar south pole, selected for sunlight, communication with Earth, safe terrain and access to shadowed, potentially ice-rich craters. Other national programmes are targeting the same region.
Rules of the frontier
Access, not ownership.
On the Moon there is no freehold. What matters is the right to operate safely in a place and to use what you extract, and those rules are still forming.
Outer Space Treaty
Outer space, including the Moon, “is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty”, by use, occupation or any other means. No state can claim lunar land, so no one can sell it with legal title.
Artemis Accords
Non-binding principles signed by dozens of nations, covering transparency, interoperability, the use of space resources and “safety zones” to avoid interference between operations.
Space resources
The United States (2015), Luxembourg (2017), the United Arab Emirates (2019) and Japan (2021) recognise rights to resources extracted in space, not to the ground they came from.
Beware of “lunar deeds”. Certificates selling plots on the Moon carry no recognised legal title. Exposure to the space economy runs through companies, data and infrastructure on Earth, not land on the Moon.
Opportunities on Earth
The space economy runs on Earth’s high ground.
Much of the value of space is created and handled on the ground. Many of those sites need exactly what high-ground screening looks for.
Ground stations and teleports
They need clear horizons, low radio interference, resilient power and fibre, which often means elevated, flood-safe land with dry access.
Optical ground stations
Laser links to satellites and telescopes work best above cloud and turbulence, which is why many sit on mountains, such as ESA’s optical ground station on Tenerife.
Launch sites on low coasts
Many spaceports sit on low coastlines for safety and orbital reasons. Rising seas and stronger storms are a long-term question for them and the supply chains around them.
Data centres for Earth observation
Processing satellite data at scale needs mission-critical sites above the 500-year flood level, with dry lifelines and manageable cooling.
Supply chains for space and robotics
Advanced manufacturing, automation and robotics reshape where plants and suppliers sit. Restructuring Supply Chains (opens in a new tab) looks at what AI and robotics will change in yours.
Weighing frontier exposure?
We can look at the siting logic with you in a Future alignment scan, or start with a question.
Space ventures are long-horizon and high-risk. Nothing on this page is investment, legal or engineering advice, and High Ground Acquisitions does not sell or broker any space-related product.