Israel announces plan to land three spacecraft on the moon
Seven countries ask to participate in project, including UAE
After Israel’s first space probe crashed while landing on the moon in 2019, the country announced on Wednesday its plans to send a second spacecraft in a similar mission, only this time, with a grander scheme in mind.
Israel’s nonprofit SpaceIL unveiled the Beresheet 2 project in a ceremony that took place at Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s residence in Jerusalem.
“We are setting out on a new path, familiar but different, at the end of which we hope to land three spacecraft safely on the moon,” Rivlin stated at the event.
“This project will extend the boundaries of human knowledge with ground-breaking scientific experiments, helping us to understand better the universe in which we live.”
Beresheet 2 will comprise three spacecraft -- one orbiter and two landers -- and is scheduled to launch in around four years.
According to a statement released by the Government Press Office, the project, “along with scientific missions and international cooperation... will be aimed at inspiring young people across the country from all parts of Israeli society.”
Science and Technology Minister Izhar Shay, who attended the event as well, revealed that seven countries from five continents have expressed an interest in participating in the project, including the United Arab Emirates -- with which Israel has recently inked a historic peace treaty.