Category Archives: SpaceIL

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 Feb 2019

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Israel Lander, Crescent Moon Countries, Vatican Observatory May See New Beginnings On Luna

Launch Of SpaceIL Beresheet Lander Is Advance For All Humankind Toward Moon; Saudi Arabia, Involved With Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Mission, Establishing Space Agency Headed By Former Astronaut Prince Sultan Bin Salman; At International Lunar Observatory Association Benefactors Reception In Singapore 13 Feb, Board Members From Southeast Asia Countries Including Malaysia And Indonesia Make Decisive Steps Toward Participating In ILO-1 Moon Mission; Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, Director Of Vatican Observatory, Believes Moon Is Most Realistic Destination For Peaceful Exploration

Credits: NASA, Okaz, SpaceIL, Vatican Observatory

Friday / 22 Feb 2019

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2019 Could See 4 International Moon Landers, Most Attempts Since 1970s

SpaceIL Beresheet “Genesis” May Become First Privately-Funded Lander To Reach Moon Surface ~11 Apr Depending On Falcon 9 Launch Set 21 Feb 20:45 ET; India Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, Lander, Rover Launch On GSLV Mk 2 Scheduled Last Week Of March For 14-Day Journey To Manzinus / Simpelius Craters; Chang’e-4 Lander / Rover Operating On Far Side Since 3 Jan, And China Could Send Chang’e-5 Sample Return By End Of 2019 If Long March 5 Launch ~July Succeeds

Credits: SpaceIL, ISRO, CNSA, CLEP, NAOC, CAS, CCTV

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 Feb 2019

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Three More International Lunar Landings Preparing In 2019

Israel “Beresheet,” First Privately Built Lunar Lander To Reach Launch Site, Prepares At SpaceX Processing Facility In Cape Canaveral For Launch NET 18 February On 8-Week Voyage To Mare Serenitatis; NASA Contributes Laser Retroreflector Array And Use Of Deep Space Network For Beresheet; India Chandrayaan-2 (L) Set For Launch By End Of Apr; First Mission To Moon South Polar Region Consists Of 2380-kg Orbiter, 1470-kg Lander And 27-kg Rover; While Zhongguo Chang’e-3 And Chang’e-4 Are Operating, Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return (R) Scheduled For Late 2019, Depending On Launch Success Of Long March 5 In July

Credits: ISRO, SpaceIL, NAOC, CNSA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 18-21 Jan 2019

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SpaceIL Lander Arrives At Cape Canaveral On Way To Mare Serenitatis

Israel SpaceIL Beresheet Lander Now At Cape Canaveral; Scheduled To Fly From Launch Complex 40 On SpaceX Falcon 9 NET 18 February; Will Be Carried Along With India PSN-6 Communications Satellite And Classified US Co-Payload; 585-Kg Loaded Mass (200-Kg Dry) Lander Is First Of Former Google X-Prize Contestants To Launch; Will Take ~2 Months To Reach Landing Site In Mare Serenitatis At 28.0°N, 17.5°E; NASA Contributes Communications Support And Laser Retroreflector Array To Complement Lunar Ranging Experiments From Previous Missions; Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Will Make Observations To Support Beresheet Landing

Credits: SpaceIL, NASA

Friday / 21 Dec 2018

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SpaceIL ‘Genesis’ Lunar Lander Ready For February SpaceX Launch, May-June 2019 Touchdown At Mare Serenitatis

Genesis “Beresheet” בְּרֵאשִׁית)‬) Is Scheduled For Falcon 9 Launch From Cape Canaveral AFS NET 13 Feb As Secondary Payload With PSN-6 Satellite; After Launch, Lander (Dry Mass ~200 kg, Wet 585 kg) Will Orbit Earth 3 Times, Perform Orbit ‘Raising’ Over 2.5 Months To Maneuver Into Lunar Orbit, And Take 2-4 Weeks To Soft Land Near “Sea of Serenity” 28.0°N, 17.5°E; Reported US$95M Mission Carries Digital Time Capsule, Magnetometer, Laser Retroreflector Array; Israel Aerospace Industries Located SE Of Tel Aviv Is Mission Control; Could Be 5th Entity To Land On Moon After India NET Feb

Credits: SpaceIL, IAI

Thanksgiving Weekend Edition
Thu-Mon / 22-26 Nov 2018

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Upcoming Lunar Launches And Landings From Multiple Nations

8 December China Plans Launch of Chang’e-4, First Mission To Lunar Farside; Lander And Rover To Explore South Pole Aitken Basin; Landing Targeted For 30-31 Dec In 186 Km-Wide Von Karman Crater At 44.8° South Latitude; India Plans Launch 30 Jan Of Chandrayaan-2, First Mission To South Pole Region; 3,877 Kg Spacecraft On GSLV Mark 3 Launcher Composed Of Orbiter, Lander And Rover; Chandrayaan-2 Landing Site At 70° South Latitude; Israel SpaceIL Plans Lunar Launch On SpaceX Falcon 9 In Early 2019, Landing NET 13 Feb

Credits: CNSA, NASA, ISRO

Thursday / 8 Nov 2018

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X-Prize Entrants Still Aiming for Moon

 Google’s Cash Prize Is Ended, But Lunar X-Prize Still On; Israel SpaceIL Prepares For Launch On SpaceX Falcon 9 In Early 2019 For 8-Week Voyage; Moon Express Secures Funding For Launch Complex 17 At Cape Canaveral, Aims For July 2020; Japan ispace Reserves Spaces On Falcon 9 In 2020 And 2021; Astrobotic Has 11 Payloads For 2020; In International Moon Village Workshop & Symposium At USC, Germany PTScientists Plan Audi Rover In 2020 To Taurus-Littrow Site Of Apollo 17; 3rd Moon Village Workshop & Symposium To Land In Japan Late 2019

Credits: USC, PTScientists, Moon Express, SpaceIL

Friday / 5 Oct 2018

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IAC 2018 Generating ‘Moon Rush’ Of Mission Agreements, MoUs, Collaborations

International Astronautical Congress 69th General Assembly Providing Major Opportunities For Lunar Advances: Moon Express & Canadian Space Agency MoU Establishes Potential Collaboration On Moon Landers, Orbiters, Payloads; Blue Origin Signs Letter Of Letter With Germany Companies OHB & MT Aerospace; Astrobotic Announces Deal With Space Agencies Of Ecuador (EXA) & Colombia (AEC) For Lunar Exploration Campaign Using Multiple Peregrine Missions; Tech Development Competition 2024 “Moon Race” To Be Detailed Soon; NASA Declares Intent To Contribute Laser Retroreflector Array To Israel 2019 Moon Lander

Credits: Moon Express, Blue Origin, Astrobotic, EXA, AEC, NASA, SpaceIL, Moon Race / Airbus, et al,

Wednesday / 11 July 2018

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SpaceIL Announces December Launch Of Israel Spacecraft To Land On Moon In February 2019

Israel Nonprofit SpaceIL & Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI Ltd.) Announce Launch Of Jointly-Developed Lunar Lander On SpaceX Falcon 9 In Dec 2018, For Landing On 13 Feb 2019 — To Be The 1st Israel Mission To Land On Moon, After Government Missions By USSR, USA, China, & Possibly India; SpaceIL CEO Ido Anteby (M) Says The 2-m Diameter Spacecraft Will Weigh 180 Kg At Time Of Landing And Will Plant Israel Flag On Moon; Total Project Cost ~US$95M Since Its Beganning In 2011, Of Which SpaceIL President Morris Kahn (L) Donated $27M; IAI CEO Yossi Weiss (R) Stresses Benefit Of Civilian Space Activity For The World

Credits: SpaceIL, IAI

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 December 2016

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GLXP Teams Must Provide Launch Contract Before 2017 To Stay In Competition: 4 Verified, 1 Newly Contracted

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Nearing 1-Year Mark To Claim US$20M First Place Prize, GLXP Teams Have Until 31 Dec 2016 To Contract With Launch Provider; Israel SpaceIL With Hopper Lander Has Verified SpaceX Launch, USA Moon Express Hopper Lander Verified Contract With Rocket Lab (And Has FAA Approval For Mission), USA Synergy Moon Lander & 2 Rovers Verified With Interorbital, India Team Indus Lander & Rover Verified With ISRO PSLV; Germany Part Time Scientists Lander & 2 Rovers SpaceX Contract Via Spaceflight Industries Not Yet Verified; USA Astrobotic Lander (With Andy Rover) – Carrying Japan Hakuto 2 Rovers & Chile AngelicvM Uni Rover – Still Planning SpaceX Launch

Credits: Moon Express, Astrobotic, Hakuto, SpaceIL, Part Time Scientists, Synergy Moon, Team Indus, AngelicvM, GLXP