Israeli Lunar Lander Launches Toward Moon Aboard Recycled SpaceX Rocket
An Israeli-built spacecraft named Beresheet departs for the moon alongside an Indonesian communications satellite on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission marks the first privately-funded attempt to reach another planetary body.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from Cape Canaveral, carrying an Israeli moon lander, an Indonesian communications satellite, and an experimental U.S. Air Force satellite. The mission marks the first launch of the year from the Florida spaceport and represents a historic step for private space exploration. The Israeli spacecraft, named Beresheet, aims to become the first privately-funded mission to reach another planetary body.
The Falcon 9 booster produces 1.7 million pounds of thrust to send the payloads eastward over the Atlantic Ocean. After separating from the upper stage, the first stage executes a supersonic plunge back through the atmosphere and successfully lands on the drone ship "Of Course I Still Love You." This landing marks the third trip to space and back for this specific Falcon 9 booster and the 34th successful booster landing overall for SpaceX.
The rocket's upper stage delivers the three payloads into an oval-shaped orbit reaching more than 37,000 miles above Earth. Beresheet separates first at around 33 minutes after liftoff to begin its independent journey to the moon, followed by the deployment of the heavy Nusantara Satu communications satellite. A camera on the Falcon 9 captures the Indonesian telecom craft receding into space as it enters its operational orbit.