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Jason Davis • February 21, 2019
SpaceIL's Beresheet spacecraft is en route to the moon after the successful launch at the top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida. The takeoff took place as scheduled on February 22 at 1:45 UTC (February 21 at 20:45 EST). You can watch a replay of the launch of SpaceX broadcast here.
Beresheet
New on Beresheet? Need expert resources? Visit the Planetary Society's Beresheet Mission page for information you will not find anywhere else.
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SpaceX
Takeoff of Beresheet
Beresheet takes off at the top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 with the Nusantara Satu and S5 satellites on Feb. 22 at 1:45 UTC (Feb. 21 at 8:45 pm EST).
Before takeoff, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and SpaceIL's chief donor, Morris Kahn, addressed a crowd at the SpaceIL Mission Control Center at Israel Aerospace Industries, where a small crowd came to assist at the first lunar mission of the country. In the background, live broadcast of SpaceX from Hawthorne, California, where an announcer announced that the first floor of the Falcon 9 would attempt to land on the drone. Of course I still love you in the most difficult weather conditions to date. Sparks could be seen coming out of the rear heat shield of the rocket as it fell back to Earth, but the landing was successful:
The first step of the Falcon 9 landed on the drone ship Of course, I still love you, thus completing the third launch and landing of this booster. pic.twitter.com/IP6yvi8SQa
– SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 22, 2019
Meanwhile, Beresheet, the S5 satellite of the Air Force Research Laboratory and the main payload, Nusantara Saru, have been put into orbit. About eight minutes after takeoff, the second leg of the Falcon 9 was stopped, marking the beginning of a 19-minute coastal phase. The engine started again for a last minute of combustion and, after five minutes of coasting, Beresheet was successfully deployed. Nusantara Satru and S5 went wild 11 minutes later.
SpaceX
Separation of Beresheet
Beresheet was separated from its Falcon 9 launcher and the Nusantara Satu / S5 satellite stack 34 minutes after launch on February 22, 2018. Unfortunately, the separation was not visible because the Sun was directly in the line of sight of the Falcon 9 camera.
Nusantara Satru and S5 will move to a geosynchronous orbit before separating, while Beresheet will perform a series of phasing loops to raise its orbit until the probe is captured by lunar gravity.
Beresheet has already reached crucial early stages:
Beresheet has been successfully launched! ??
We received the first sign of life and the data of #Beresheet & the #spatialship deployed his landing legs as planned. ? #israeltothemoon @ILAerospaceIAI @ILSpaceAgency pic.twitter.com/Lmc9LhGaoo– Israel on the moon (@TeamSpaceIL) February 22, 2019
The next big challenge of Beresheet is an optional climax burn in about 8 hours. It will take a total of 40 days for the satellite to reach the moon and then another week in lunar orbit before landing. For a longer timeline, do not miss our article What to Expect!
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