Israeli SpaceIL Announces Beresheet 2.0 Following Lunar Crash
After losing its first spacecraft during a historic lunar landing attempt, SpaceIL commits to a second mission. Chairman Morris Kahn leads the charge to find new donors and try again.
SpaceIL officially announces plans for a second lunar mission called Beresheet 2.0 after the original spacecraft crashes on the Moon's surface. Chairman Morris Kahn states that the organization's leaders meet to secure a new group of donors to fund another run at landing on the Moon. Kahn frames the failure as a valuable lesson for the younger generation, emphasizing that people must get up and try again even after they do not succeed.
The initial Beresheet mission ends in failure during its final descent maneuver when an engine burn fails to slow the spacecraft adequately. Before losing contact, the lander successfully captures a photo of Earth from 22 kilometers above the lunar surface. Despite the crash, the $200 million project achieves a major milestone as the first legitimate private attempt at a lunar landing and stands as one of the cheapest lunar missions ever attempted.
The original project begins as a competing entry for the Google Lunar Xprize and continues with support from Israel Aerospace Industries after the prize contest ends without a winner. To keep costs down, SpaceIL hitchhikes into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and spends a month and a half spiraling out of Earth's orbit to reach its destination. Industry leaders like XPrize founder Peter Diamandis praise the historic attempt as a significant achievement for private spaceflight.