Israel prepares to launch its first mission on the Moon

Three countries sent missions to the moon: the United States, Russia and China. Israel wants to be the fourth when it launches a ship in December with the help of a rocket Falcon 9 SpaceX .

The unmanned mission is a joint effort between the private company Israel Aerospace Industries and the non-profit organization SpaceIL, which participated in the contest Google Lunar XPrize which was ended this year without declaring a definitive winner But those of SpaceIL do not let this fact prevent them from completing their lunar journey.

On Tuesday, the team announced that it was planning to land its mission on February 13, 2019, but has not yet set an exact launch date in December. It will take about two months for the ship to reach its destination after launch.

SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries managed to raise US $ 88 million primarily from private taxpayers to finance the project over the next eight years.

The vessel is 1.5 meters high and weighs about 600 kilograms. The team says it will be the smallest ship to land on the moon.

Once the ship reaches the Moon, it will take photos and videos of the lunar surface. It will also measure the magnetic field of the moon with the help of a magnetometer.

The ship will undergo a final series of tests in the coming months to ensure that it can survive launch, flight and landing. If the ship pbades the tests, it will go into space from Cape Canaveral, Florida, inside a SpaceX rocket. Your traveling companions will be satellites.

"The launch of the first Israeli spacecraft, now 70 years old, will fill the country with pride," said Morris Kahn, president of SpaceIL. "It's a national achievement that will put us on the map of the world's space."