"Beresheet" to be launched tonight, pushing Israel to the moon – HEALTH & SCIENCE

If successful, the landing on the moon will make Israel the fourth country in the world to land on the lunar surface, after the former Soviet Union, the United States and China. It will be the first space capsule of its kind to land on the moon thanks to a private initiative rather than a government-funded enterprise.

The project was piloted by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries and has been in preparation for several years.

"Eight years ago, we ventured on this journey that ends now (…) I can not be more proud than to give this gift to the Israeli people," said the president of SpaceIL and its main donor of funds, Morris Kahn. . Miriam and Sheldon Adelson from the Ministry of Science and Technology, ISA, Weizmann and various other individuals also made donations.

This mission is not an easy task. At first, the craft will enter the Earth's orbit, but will then enter the lunar orbit when the two overlap. Once it lands, it will also be difficult to locate its exact location on the moon. The NASA laser retroreflector is on board to carry out this maneuver and help the team of scientists to monitor the progress of the device.

IAI CEO Nimrod Sheffer thanked the SpaceIL and IAI joint teams, who worked tirelessly to bring the project to fruition, for their professionalism, determination, faith and dedication. devotion.

The spacecraft is the smallest of this type by weight – it measures only 1.5 m. by 2 m. at 600 kg. (approximately 1,300 lbs.) and costs only $ 100 million – compared to other larger and more expensive projects.

"For many months, our teams and the IAI were tasked with testing the spacecraft and its systems, conducting complex experiments and preparing all possible scenarios for the mission," said SpaceIL Ido's CEO. Antebi.

The probe will travel the longest distance ever reached by the Moon – about 6.5 million km. (about 4 million miles) before landing. Beresheet will cross the space at a speed of 10 km. per second (36,000 km / h).

Earlier this week, President Reuven Rivlin pointed out that it was not only a national and historic achievement, but also to encourage young Israelis to study areas related to STEM and pursue their dreams of traveling in space.