Beresheet, lunar lander, SpaceIL, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Nusantara Satu satellite, the Beresheet lunar spacecraft and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) S5 spacecraft from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 22 February 2019, at 01:45 UTC (21 February, 20:45 EST). Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage (Block 5 B1048) landed on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Falcon 9’s first stage previously supported the Iridium-7 mission in July 2018 and the SAOCOM 1A mission in October 2018.
Credit: SpaceX

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The Beresheet lunar spacecraft was successfully deployed approximately 34 minutes after being launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on 22 February 2019, at 01:45 UTC (21 February, 20:45 EST). SpaceIL’s lunar spacecraft Beresheet (Hebrew for “in the beginning”) will travel for two months to the Moon using its own power. Once it arrives, Beresheet will be the smallest spacecraft to ever land on the Moon, at 600 kgs, Israel’s first spacecraft and the world’s first privately-funded spacecraft to reach the Moon.
Credit: SpaceX

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SpaceIL and IAI press conference in Orlando ahead of historic lunar launch.

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Take a moment to learn about "Beresheet's" complex journey to the moon with SpaceIL founder - Yonatan Winetraub.

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The SpaceIL's Beresheet spacecraft captured a sunrise while orbiting Earth. It also deployed its landing legs

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SpaceIL’s Beresheet spacecraft failed to land on the Moon on 11 April 2019. The spacecraft encountered a problem with its main engine in the final stage of the descend.

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SpaceIL's Beresheet spacecraft captured a "selfie" of itself and the moon at an altitude of about 22 kilometers (13.7 miles) above the lunar surface.

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The first Israeli mission to the moon ended in failure but the overall mission was a great success. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in attendance at SpaceIL mission control and said "if at first you don't succeed, try again."

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XPRIZE to award $1 Million Moonshot Award to SpaceIL team for them to continue their work and pursue Beresheet 2.0. Space is hard!!!

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