Israel Space Agency, NASA to collaborate on Beresheet2 lunar mission

The Israel Space Agency (ISA) on Thursday signed a joint statement of intent with NASA to collaborate on the Beresheet2 lunar Mission, on the sidelines of the 18th Ilan Ramon International Space Conference, held in Tel Aviv.

Under the agreement, NASA will provide a Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer, communication network support, and coordination with the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. The agency will also participate in the selection of landing sites and join the mission’s science team, according to an official statement. 

In turn ISA is expected to participate in the Beresheet2 mission to the moon, which is planned to launch by an Israeli non-profit organization SpaceIL in 2025. The previous NASA-ISA collaboration was successfully carried out in 2019 with SpaceIL's Beresheet1 becoming the first private spacecraft to fly to the moon.

NASA Associate Administrator, Robert D. Cabana, and ISA Director, Uri Oron, underlined the “importance of the long-standing relationship between the space agencies, including on education and their continued cooperation on Earth and space science.”

“The moon is an exciting destination to explore and I look forward to the scientific discoveries that will come from the Beresheet-2 mission. Our partnership on this lunar mission and Israel’s commitment to the Artemis Accords are enabling us to explore the Moon together,” Cabana said.

"The Beresheet project is the pride of Israel’s groundbreaking science and technology. The collaboration with NASA and our new agreement, which I welcome, is a further testimony to the excellent relations between Israel and the USA and to the intensifying cooperation on science and technology issues," noted Ofir Akunis, Israel’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology.