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SpaceIL, the organization whose Beresheet spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface two years ago in a failed landing attempt, said on Sunday it had raised $ 70 million from investors for a second mission to the lunar surface, to be launched in 2024.
Funding was raised from a group of entrepreneur-philanthropists, made up of Patrick Drahi, the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation; Morris Kahn and the Kahn Foundation, which also supported the first Beresheet mission; and the Moshal Space Foundation, in partnership with Entrée Capital.
The funding increases the likelihood of meeting the 2024 launch schedule, SpaceIL said in a statement. The total cost of the mission is estimated at $ 100 million, the startup said.
The “Beresheet2” mission plans to break several records in world space history, the company said, including a double moon landing in a single mission by two of the smallest landing craft ever launched in the space, each weighing 120 kilograms (265 pounds). , half of which is fuel.
As part of the mission, a mothership will be launched into space, from which the two landers will detach. One of them aims to land on the far side of the moon, which only China has accomplished so far, the statement said. The second craft is expected to land on a still undetermined site on the Moon.
The mothership, meanwhile, will remain in space for five years and serve as a platform for educational science activities in Israel and around the world via a remote connection that will allow students from several countries to participate in scientific research in deep space, the statement said.
The first Beresheet spacecraft crashed into the moon’s surface in April 2019 while attempting to land on the Earth satellite, dashing the hopes of hundreds of engineers who had been working on the project for years.
The spacecraft successfully initiated the landing sequence, but a few kilometers above the moon’s surface the main engine failed, meaning the spacecraft could not brake properly at time to cushion its landing.
The first spacecraft was budgeted at $ 100 million, a fraction of the cost of vehicles launched to the moon by major powers in the United States, Russia and China in the past. It was a joint venture between private companies SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries, funded almost entirely by private donations from well-known Jewish philanthropists, including South African billionaire Morris Kahn, Miriam and Sheldon Adelson, Lynn Schusterman and other.
The SpaceIL project was launched as Israel’s entry into the Google LunarX challenge for non-governmental groups to land a spacecraft on the moon. Google ended the contest in 2018 without a winner, but the Israeli team decided to continue their efforts in private.
Following the Beresheet 2 round table, a new board of directors was appointed for the organization, which includes representatives of new donors. Morris Kahn was appointed chairman of the board alongside new directors Angelina Drahi, chairman of the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation; Amalia Zarka, Executive Director of the Drahi Philanthropic Foundation; Tal Granot-Goldstein, CEO of HOT Group; Frank Melloul, CEO of i24news; Aviad Eyal, managing partner of Entrée Capital and representative of the Moshal Space Foundation; and Dafna Jackson, CEO of the Kahn family office. They will join current board members, including Professor Isaac Ben-Israel, Avi Hasson, Arie Halsband and Ya’acov Levy.
“The Beresheet project is my life’s mission, so I decided to take it over,” Kahn said. “I plan to do everything in my power to bring Israel back to the moon, this time for a historic double landing. As an entrepreneur, I believe in constantly looking for new challenges and even doubling the risk. Our upcoming new mission will position Israel once again as a global pioneer, this time in space. “
SpaceIL, founded by Yariv Bash, Yonatan Winetraub, and Kfir Damari, is a non-profit organization that strives to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and dreamers through innovative space missions. The organization has hundreds of volunteers and, in several years of operation, has reached more than two million children, the company said in the statement.
“We are delighted to be part of this historic project, which will strengthen Israel’s position as an international actor and inspire young people around the world,” said Angelina Drahi. “The Drahi Foundation aims to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, alongside science education, to position Israel as an international power in these fields. “
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