Numerous leading German planetologists, among them Gerhard Neukum, Ralf Jaumann and Tilman Spohn, have condemned the indefinite postponement and argue for resuming the LEO-project.
The main satellite would have also carried a microwave radar to probe beneath the lunar surface up to a depth of a few hundred meters.
The duration of the mission around the Moon will be four years, during which the charting of the entire lunar surface would take place.
The survey is to be three-dimensional and in colour with one aim being to provide indications of significant geological formations that could later be of interest for drilling.
The probe will also investigate the Moon's magnetic and gravity fields, look for water and analyse the minerals on its surface.