An Israeli company sees Moon disembark at the beginning of the year 2019

SpaceIL's spacecraft in a clean room. Photo credit: SpaceIL

SpaceIL unveiled his plan to land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon in early 2019. The company announced that the mission would be launched by a Falcon 9 rocket in December 2018. [19659007] SpaceIL participated in the contest Google Lunar XPRIZE which offered $ 20 million for landing on the Moon. However, despite the fact that the contest expired in March 2018 with the prize for the unclaimed lunar landing, some participants, including SpaceIL, decided to continue their efforts to send a spacecraft to the Moon.

The new plan was presented by SpaceIL on July 10, 2018, at a press conference at the MBT Space facility of Israel Aerospace Industries ( IAI ) in Yehud, Israel. The mission was presented as a joint SpaceIL-IAI project and business leaders emphasized its importance to the country.

"After eight difficult years, I am filled with pride that the first Israeli spacecraft is in the final stages of construction and testing," said Morris Kahn President of SpaceIL. "The launch of the first Israeli spacecraft will fill Israel, in its 70th year, with pride. It's a national achievement that will put us on the map of the world's space.

The aircraft plans to launch a car-sized lander on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 propeller as a secondary payload. After getting separated from the rocket at an altitude of about 37,000 kilometers (60,000 kilometers), it should start a long journey of two months up to the moon. The landing is scheduled for February 13, 2019.

SpaceIL's lunar spacecraft weighs approximately 1,322 pounds (600 kilograms) and has dimensions of 4.9 over 6.5 feet (1.5 out of 2). meters). If the mission succeeds, it would be the smallest spacecraft to land on the moon.

It is expected that the spacecraft will carry an Israeli flag on the moon and take pictures as well as a video of the landing site. He will also conduct scientific research focused on measuring the magnetic field of the moon.

The SpaceIL lunar lander development project dates back to 2013. The construction of the spacecraft began in 2017 and has already been subjected to extensive testing. the landing sensor in June 2018. Further examinations of the spacecraft are planned in order to fully prepare it for its launch in December.

"SpaceIL, in collaboration with IAI, begins the final leg of its complex mission as the first Israeli satellite on the moon," said Ido Anteby CEO of SpaceIL. "In the coming months, the spacecraft will undergo a series of intensive checks and tests at IAI, to prove that it will withstand the conditions of launch, flight and landing."

Tagged: Google Lunar XPRIZE Israel Stories Moon SpaceIL

Tomasz Nowakowski

Tomasz Nowakowski is the owner of Astro Watch, one of the leading astronomy and science blogs on the Internet. Nowakowski contacted SpaceFlight Insider to collaborate on the two space-related websites. The generous offer of Nowakowski was greeted with gratitude by the two organizations that are now working to better relay important developments with regard to space exploration.