[ad_1]
The Beresheet spacecraft will make a stop with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket this Thursday.
"We are ready for the launch," SpaceIL co-founder Yonatan Winetraub told The Grapevine newspaper on Thursday. "All systems are running."
Israel will try to make history tonight by launching a ship in space. When it lands on the moon, Israel will become only the fourth country to ever have a lunar landing – after Russia, the United States and China.
A live video stream will begin at approximately 8:20 pm EST on Thursday, February 21 (3:30 am in Israel) on The Grapevine's Facebook page as well as in the video at the top of this article.
The ship – called "Beresheet", in Hebrew for Genesis – is currently undergoing final testing in Cape Canaveral, Florida for several weeks. Weather permitting, take-off will take place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Air Base on Thursday, February 21st at 8:45 pm EST (3:45 am in Israel). The ship carpools in space aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The SpaceIL spacecraft will be accompanied by various satellites and other research equipment, all of which will be deposited first. The Beresheet will be the last pbadenger dropped in the SpaceX carpool and is expected to come off about 30 minutes after takeoff.
The Falcon 9 was first introduced in 2010. It was launched more than 60 times and has a success rate of 96.8%. "Please, cross your fingers because it's a difficult mission and we need all possible help," Winetraub told us. You can read the entirety of our interview with him to discover how this idea sprang up, the ship's planned lunar experiences and the surprising gifts on board.
The ship is expected to make its lunar landing in mid-April.
Watch the Israeli ship Beresheet board at Cape Canaveral with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
[ad_2]
Source link
