National mission to land a spacecraft on the moon is underway: Israeli spacecraft “Beresheet” to launch to the moon on February 22
Beresheet’s journey will last about two months until the scheduled landing on April 11, 2019
Why is this an historic event?
- Beresheet is the first spacecraft to land on the moon as a result of a private initiative, rather than a government.
- Beresheet is the smallest spacecraft by weight.
- It was developed and constructed at a cost of only $100 million, compared to billions of dollars in similar projects.
- It will make the longest journey until landing on the moon, 6.5 million kilometers.
- Israel will join the advanced world powers who successfuly soft-landed a spacecraft on the moon Russia (1966), USA (1969), and China (2013).
Mr. Morris Kahn, President of SpaceIL: “Eight years ago we ventured on this journey that is now nearing completion in about two months when we land on the moon. We are making history and are proud to be part of a group that dreamed and realized the vision that many countries in the world share, but so far only three have realized. Yesterday (17.2) we presented the “Beresheet” project as a gift to the President of Israel, where it was declared a national project. I couldn’t be prouder than to give this gift to the people of Israel and make it part of the Israeli ethos of technology, daring and a generous dose of nerve”.
Ido Antebi, CEO of the SpaceIL NGO: “Our journey to the moon is full of challenges, which makes our task extremely complex. Every step we take successfully outlines the way to the next successful one until the landing on the moon. For many months, our teams and IAI’s were engaged in testing the spacecraft and its systems, conducting complex experiments and preparing for every possible scenario of the mission, whose success will make Israel an extremely proud nation.”
Nimrod Sheffer, CEO, Israel Aerospace Industries: “The cooperation with SpaceIL is an example of the amazing achievements that can be attained by the State of Israel and a symbol for the path Israel has walked since its establishment. Most importantly, it illustrates the loftier achievements that can still be achieved – the know-how, the capabilities and the human capital are all here. The journey to the moon is fraught with challenges, but thanks to the professionalism, determination and faith of all the partners in the project, an Israeli spacecraft will be launched to the moon in the coming days. IAI together with our partners at SpaceIL will continue to do everything necessary to ensure the success of this mission”.
The SpaceIL and IAI partnership announced today that the launch of the Israeli spacecraft “Beresheet” will take place on February 22, 2019. The night between Thursday and Friday at around 03:45 a.m. (East coast time 21/2/19 around 20:45)
The Launch Process:
Once launched, the spacecraft will begin a long and complex orbit. The launch is expected to take place at about 03:45 a.m. Israel time, when the Falcon 9 rocket is launched out of the atmosphere from the Cape Canaveral launch site. About 32 minutes later, the spacecraft will separate from the launcher. A few minutes after this critical point, assuming it takes place as planned, we expect to receive preliminary indications from the spacecraft to the control room located in Yehud, Israel. This will let us know the spacecraft is on its way. A few minutes later, the spacecraft’s landing legs will open and we will then begin a series of tests of all the spacecraft’s systems to ensure they have successfully survived the launch and are working well in space.
The main challenges in the journey to the moon:
There are five major challenges of the spacecraft’s journey to the moon: Firstly, the launch is fraught with risks in and of itself. Secondly, locating the spacecraft and contacting it over the vast distance to the moon is very intricate. Thirdly, the spacecraft’s durability under extreme conditions in space, complex navigation (without a GPS) etc. Fourthly, the Moon Capture Point, where the spacecraft must switch from Earth’s orbits to orbit the moon. To perform this switch, the spacecraft must reach the right location at the right time and at the right speed and direction so that a braking maneuver will enable the moon’s gravitation to capture it. The final challenge is the most difficult – the landing on the moon.
The spacecraft’s journey to the moon – the longest ever:
The spacecraft will orbit the Earth in elliptical orbits and will travel 6.5 million kilometers – the longest distance ever travelled to the moon. During these orbits, the spacecraft will raise its orbit around Earth until it reaches the proximity of the moon. When the spacecraft is in lunar orbit, about 10 days before landing, it will orbit it until the appropriate time and an autonomous landing process will begin. The route will take about two months until the expected landing on April 11, 2019.
How did it all start?
Although this is a national and historic achievement, it is based on a private initiative conceived about eight years ago by the three founders of SpaceIL, with two main goals: to land an Israeli spacecraft on the moon and to inspire the younger generation to study science and technology.
In hope to fulfil their dream, the young entrepreneurs Yariv Bash, Kfir Damari and Yehonatan Weintraub enrolled in Google Lunar XPRIZE Challenge. The competition ended without a winner in March 2018. However SpaceIL, announced that it would continue working on its mission.
The world’s first spacecraft built in a non-governmental mission
Since the establishment of SpaceIL, the task of landing an Israeli spacecraft on the moon has become a national project, but funded by donors, headed by Morris Kahn. This is the lowest-budget spacecraft to ever undertake such a mission. The superpowers who managed to land a spacecraft on the moon have spent hundreds of millions of dollars in government funding.
The development and construction of the spacecraft in such a limited budget is a significant achievement in itself, both for the State of Israel and for the space industry worldwide. If the mission proves successful, it will be a technological breakthrough of an international scale.
The significance of the project for the State of Israel
Landing a spacecraft on the moon will bring an extraordinary achievement to the small State of Israel. The project expresses Israel’s technological capabilities and opens many opportunities for it: First of all, it will promote scientific education of the next generation: since its foundation, the NGO met eith over one million students throughout the country. Secondly, it will advance and promote science and research. Thirdly, it would open a new horizon for the Israeli economy thanks to its engineering knowledge and advanced development capabilities. The success of Beresheet is a symbol of Israel’s’ success in these and other fields.
The development and construction process
The planning and development process of the spacecraft included intensive work by dozens of engineers, scientists and staff. The development by SpaceIL and IAI started in 2015 and lasted until 2018. The spacecraft, which weighs only 600 kilograms, is considered the smallest to land on the moon. The height of “Beresheet” is 1.5 meters, it is about two meters wide and it carries fuel which is approximately 75 percent of its weight. Its maximum speed will reach 10 km per second (36,000 km / h).
The Israeli flag on the moon, the selfie and a scientific mission in conjunction with NASA via Israel Space Agency
Once landed on the moon, the spacecraft carrying the Israeli flag will begin taking photographs of the landing site and a selfie to prove we have indeed landed on the moon. The spacecraft has an important scientific mission to complete: measure the moon’s magnetic field as part of an experiment carried out in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute. NASA is also participating in the mission under an agreement entered with Israel Space Agency. NASA has installed a laser retroreflector on the spacecraft, and will assist in communicating the spacecraft on the moon.
The time capsule: a huge database about humanity as it is today
The spacecraft carries a “time capsule” – a huge database of hundreds of digital files ranging from details about the NGO, the spacecraft and the crew of the project, national symbols, cultural items and materials collected from the general public over the years to be placed on the moon by the spacecraft.
The time capsule will remain on the Moon even after the mission is completed. Since the spacecraft is not expected to return to Earth, the information it carries is destined to remain on the moon for an indefinite period, and may be found and distributed by future generations.
Packing and transporting the spacecraft to the US launch site
In January 2019, the spacecraft was packed and flown to the US launch site in a complex logistics operation. It was flown in a unique container, which underwent structural and engineering changes to accommodate the sensitive cargo. After arriving at Ben-Gurion Airport, it was loaded onto a temperature-controlled cargo plane. Upon landing in Orlando, FL, USA, the spacecraft was transported by land to the launch site in Florida.
Partners and donors
IAI has been a full partner in the project since its inception. Over the years, additional partners have been added from the private sector, government and academia. The most prominent of them are the Weizmann Institute of Science, the Israeli Space Agency, the Ministry of Science and Technology, Bezeq and others. Among the main contributors to the project are Miri and Sheldon Adelson, Sammy Sagol, Lynn Schusterman, Sylvan Adams, Stephen Grand and others. Philanthropist and businessman Morris Kahn took the lead in completing the mission in funding $40 million of the project and in his role as president of SpaceIL.
