BGU | The Sky is No Limit

Beresheet-2 Collaborating

on a Soft Landing

The Beresheet-2 mission, tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2025, is planned to break several aerospace records, including a double landing on the moon in one mission and the first private venture to land on its far side (to date, only China has succeeded in landing there). Also, the two landers that will be launched from the Beresheet-2 orbiter are set to be the smallest spacecrafts to ever land on the moon – each weighing just 150 kilograms. So far, SpaceIL has fundraised about 85% of the cost of the Beresheet-2 project. The bulk of the funding was received from the Patrick and Lina Drahi Foundation, the Morris Kahn Foundation, and the Moshal Foundation. The Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology is also supporting the project. Another important step in the development of the Beresheet-2 mission was the signing of a cooperation agreement between SpaceIL and the German Aerospace Center, under which a German-developed navigation algorithm will help the spacecraft land on the moon. Beresheet-2’s mission is planned to last two to five years, during which it will serve as a platform for scientific and educational activities in Israel and around the world. A remote link will allow students from different countries to actively participate in scientific space research. Uri Oron, Director General of the Israel Space Agency, explained, “the Beresheet-2 mission led by SpaceIL is an exceptional example of the growth of the [Israeli] aerospace industry and the integration of private initiatives in humanity's journey to the moon and other celestial bodies.” Beresheet is an inspiring example of how not for-profit collaborations and sharing can succeed even in the prohibitively expensive realm of aerospace exploration, democratizing space and scientific advancement.

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