World’s first private lunar lander

An Israeli nonprofit group is aiming to lead the first privately funded mission to land a probe on the moon, following in the footprints of the former Soviet Union, the U.S. and China
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Lunar lander Beresheet – Hebrew for “In the beginning” – will launch from Cape Canaveral aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for 2.5-month mission

Craft will detach at 60,000km and enter moon’s orbit before controlled landing

Landing site

Mare Serenitatis
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BERESHEET: Funded and built by non-profit group SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries, with tech support from Israel Space Agency

SPECIFICATIONS
Launch mass: 585kg – inc. 435kg of fuel Height: 1.5m Diameter: 2m

Craft carries magnetometer to measure moon’s magnetic field and NASA-provided laser retroreflector to aid ground tracking

Digital time capsule of Israeli cultural and historic artifacts to be left on moon

Solar panels
Fuel tanks 
Cameras
Helium tank
Thrusters
Main Engine
Landing gears

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Sources: SpaceIL, IAI, NASA   Picture: Getty Images       © GRAPHIC NEWS