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The engineering teams of SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will perform tomorrow the most critical maneuver of Beresheet's trip to the moon. The insertion into lunar orbit, or "lunar capture", allows the spacecraft to enter the gravity of the moon and to go into orbit before landing.
Until now, Beresheet encircled the Earth on elliptical orbits and had performed several maneuvers to send it higher and further. Earlier this week, Beresheet for the last time crossed its closest point to Earth at 1,700 kilometers (1,056 miles), continuing its meeting with the Moon at a distance of 400,000 kilometers (248,548 miles) ).
Unlike the maneuvers that Beresheet has done so far, when its engines were used to accelerate the craft, the current engine operation was supposed to slow the speed of the spacecraft, so that it was captured by lunar gravity. Braking will reduce Beresheet's speed over the moon from 8,500 mph (7,500 km / h) to 7,560 mph (7,500 km / h).
If the slowdown does not occur as expected, the probe may leave the gravity of the Earth without the gravity of the Moon and enter a different and undesirable orbit in the solar system. That would end the mission.
A successful maneuver will position the spacecraft in an elliptical orbit around the moon, the nearest point (perilune) being 500 km from the moon, while the farthest point (apolune) is 10,000. km (6,213 km). . During the week following the capture, the SpaceIl and IAI teams will perform several maneuvers to reduce orbits around the moon from an elliptical to a round orbit located 200 km above the moon. Unlike long Earth orbits, the first lunar orbits will last 14 hours. In the approach of the Beresheet landing, each lunar orbit will only last two hours. These maneuvers aim to lower the altitude of the spacecraft and reach the optimum point for an autonomous landing in the sea of the serenity of the moon on the evening of April 11th.
Highlights of the Beresheet trip to the lunar capture:
- The spacecraft made seven maneuvers
- the spacecraft has traveled 5.5 million km (more than 3.4 million miles) on its orbits and will travel a million more while orbiting the moon
- Beresheet did 12.5 terrestrial orbits, seven at an altitude of 70 000 km, two at an altitude of 131 000 km, two at an altitude of 265 000 km and 1.5 to 420 000 km
- The craft used 80 kg (176 lbs) of fuel up to now
Beresheet met two challenges, which engineering was able to overcome: one with its star followers, who were blinded by the sun more than expected, and the other involving unwanted reboots from the mission computer .
The Israeli spacecraft Beresheet was launched on the Moon on 22 February at 15:45, Israeli time (20:45 local time) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a SpaceX Launchpad by a Falcon 9 rocket as a secondary payload along two satellites. The first spacecraft data was received at 4:23 and 4:25 am, Israel time, when Beresheet rolled out its landing legs as planned.
The launch of Beresheet was historic, becoming the first Israeli spacecraft to travel beyond Earth's orbit.
How did all this begin?
Although it is a national and historical achievement, this initiative is based on a private initiative conceived about eight years ago by the three founders of SpaceIL, with two main objectives: to put an Israeli spacecraft on the moon and inspire the new generation to study science. and technology.
To achieve their dream, young entrepreneurs Yariv Bash, Kfir Damari and Yehonatan Weintraub registered for the Google Lunar XPRIZE Challenge. The contest ended without a winner in March 2018. However, SpaceIL announced that it would continue to work on its mission.
First spaceship in the world built as part of a non-governmental mission
Since the creation of SpaceIL, the landing of an Israeli spacecraft on the moon has become a national project, but financed by donors, led by Morris Kahn. It is the space vehicle with the lowest budget for such a mission. The superpowers who landed a spacecraft on the moon spent hundreds of millions of dollars on government funding. The development and construction of the spacecraft with such a limited budget is an important achievement, both for the
State of Israel and for the world space industry. If the mission succeeds, it will be a technological breakthrough on a global scale.
The importance of the project for the state of Israel
The landing of a spaceship on the moon will represent an extraordinary feat for the small state of Israel. The project demonstrates Israel's technological capabilities and opens up many opportunities. This includes promoting the next generation of science education: Since its founding, the NGO has met more than one million students across the country. Second, the mission will advance and encourage science and research. Finally, it would open a new horizon for the Israeli economy thanks to its technical knowledge and its advanced development capabilities. The success of Beresheet is a symbol of Israel's success in these and other fields.
The development and construction process
The planning and development of the spacecraft have required intensive work from dozens of engineers, scientists and collaborators. The development by SpaceIL and IAI began in 2015 and lasted until 2018. The spacecraft, which weighs only 600 kilograms, is considered the smallest to land on the moon. Beresheet is 1.5 meters tall, about two meters wide and carries fuel representing about 75% of its weight. Its maximum speed will reach 10 km per second (36,000 km / h, or more than 22,300 miles per second).
The Israeli flag on the moon, a selfie and a scientific mission in liaison with NASA via the Israeli Space Agency
Once landed on the moon, the Israeli flagged spaceship will start taking pictures of the landing site and a selfie to prove that Israel has landed on the moon.. The spacecraft has an important scientific mission: to measure the magnetic field of the moon as part of an experiment carried out in collaboration with the Weizmann Institute of Sciences of Israel. NASA is also participating in the mission under an agreement with the Israeli Space Agency. NASA has installed a laser retroreflector on the spacecraft and will facilitate the communication of the latter on the moon.
The Time Capsule: A Huge Database on Humanity
the spacecraft carries a time capsule – a huge database containing hundreds of digital files containing detailed information about the NGO, the spacecraft and the project crew, national symbols, cultural objects and material collected from the public over the years placed by Beresheet on the Moon. The time capsule will remain on the moon even after the end of the mission. Since the spacecraft should not return to Earth, the information it contains is intended to remain on the moon for an indefinite period of time and can be found and distributed by future generations.
Packaging and transportation of the spacecraft at the US launch site
In January 2019, the spacecraft was packed and sent to the US launch site as part of a complex logistical operation.. Beresheet has been transported in a single container, which has undergone structural and technical modifications to accommodate the sensitive cargo. After arriving at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, he was loaded into a temperature-controlled cargo plane. Upon landing in Orlando, Florida, the spacecraft was transported by land to the launch site.
Partners and donors
IAI has been a full partner of the project since its creation. Over the years, additional partners from the private sector, governments and academia have been added. The most important of them are the Weizmann Scientific Institute, the Israeli Space Agency, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Israeli telecommunications company Bezeq and others. Among the main contributors to the project are
Miri and Sheldon Adelson, Sammy Sagol, Lynn Schusterman, Sylvan Adams, Stephen Grand and others. Philanthropist and businessman Morris Kahn He led the mission by funding $ 40 million from the project and assuming the role of President of SpaceIL.
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