Feb 24, 2019
TEL AVIV: An Israeli spacecraft aboard a SpaceX rocket was launched from Cape
Canaveral in Florida on Thursday evening. The mission has a two-month journey
to land on the Moon. It has been funded by donations.
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket in its third successful mission.The main
payload atop the Falcon 9 was the Nusantara Satu satellite and the secondary
payload is the Israeli lunar lander.
It is of the size of a washing machine, and weighs 585kg (1,290lb). The robotic
lander is named Beresheet. Beresheet in Hebrew means Genesis. It took off at
8.45 pm local time.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, watched the launch from the
control centre in Yehud, Israel. He said, “This is a very proud moment ... While
this is a great step for Israel, it is a huge step for Israeli technology.”
The four-legged craft will photograph its landing site and measure magnetic
fields. It will only be operational for about two days.
It was built by SpaceIL in partnership with the state-owned Israel Aerospace
Industries (IAI).
