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Small light, huge dream: Hanukkah story of the Israeli space

Today we are lighting the first candle of Hanukkah, the holiday of light. With every candle added to the inauguration, we are reminded of the importance of big dreams that start with small steps.

Like the Chanukah miracle, also in Genesis - the first Israeli spacecraft to the moon, started with a small project, ambitious and faith-filled, and with a great vision and an unwavering team spirit.

And finally the miracle happened - Genesis managed to go far, amaze the world, and prove that with determination and faith, even little can make history.

And what is our conclusion? Just as the light of the Hanukkah candles illuminates the darkness, so can science, technology, and collaboration light the way to the future, making it exciting and full of possibilities.

This year, as we light candles and pray for light and peace, we also think of the captives who are in darkness. Let's shine a light for them, remember them in our hearts, and hope together for their quick return to their families.

Happy Chanukah from SpaceIL!

Keep dreaming big - because every little spark can become a flame of change.

Israel’s first lunar lander, Beresheet, appears to have crash-landed on the moon.

The spacecraft, launched by the Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL, was scheduled to touch down on the lunar surface on April 11. But in the final few minutes of its descent, the spacecraft’s engine stalled. Mission control reset Beresheet to bring its engine back online, but then communication with the lander cut out.

“#Beresheet's main engine fail! Spacecraft failed landing. Appeared to have crashed on the moon's surface!” the Israel Space Agency tweeted at 3:30 p.m. EDT.

“We didn’t make it, but we definitely tried,” said SpaceIL Chairman Morris Kahn in an online livestream of the landing. “I think we can be proud.”

Had Beresheet arrived safely, Israel would have become the fourth country — following the United States, the former Soviet Union and China — to stick a lunar landing (SN: 11/24/18, p. 14). Still, Israel has now claimed seventh place in sending a spacecraft into orbit around the moon.

Launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., onboard a SpaceX rocket in February, Beresheet orbited Earth until meeting up with the moon in early April. After several lunar orbits, the spacecraft was set to park in the Sea of Serenity — a volcanic plain on the moon’s nearside, close to where Apollo 17 astronauts planted a flag in 1972.

Beresheet carried a handful of scientific instruments onboard, including cameras and a device to measure magnetic fields. But science was only SpaceIL’s No. 2 priority for their small, scrappy spacecraft. The primary goal of Beresheet was a successful landing that would help create an “Apollo Effect” to inspire Israeli students to pursue science and engineering. The mission even inspired a children’s book, The Little Spacecraft.

An artist's illustration of the Beresheet moon lander, built by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries.

Israeli Lunar Lander Beresheet

Beresheet was a small robotic lunar lander (a spacecraft designed to conduct a Moon landing) which competed in the Google Lunar X Prize contest to land a spacecraft on the Moon. SpaceIL, an Israeli organization successfully launched it’s lander on 22 February 2019. This would have been the first privately funded moonshot to reach the lunar surface. Beresheet stands about 1.5 meters tall and is designed to spend two Earth days on the moon taking photos and other measurements (for example measure Moon’s magnetic field at the landing site).

Unfortunately the mission ended in failure. On 11 April the lander began it’s de-orbit and landing procedure. The probe was just 25 km from the surface and the team rotated it to slow the spacecraft down and allow it to land. Only a few minutes left to go, Beresheet’s engine cut out unexpectedly and the team lost communication with the lander. They were able to get the motor restarted but lost control and the lander crashed into the lunar surface.

Iisraeli kosmoseaparaat Beresheet

Beresheet oli väike robootiline kosmoseaparaat, mis oli mõeldud Kuule maandumiseks. See osales Google Lunar X Prize’i kosmoseaparaadi Kuule viimise võistlusel. 22. veebruaril 2019 startis Iisraeli organisatsioon SpaceIL kosmoseaparaadi edukalt. See oleks olnud esimene erarahastatud katse jõuda Kuu pinnani. Kosmosesond Beresheet on umber 1,5 meetrit kõrge ja on disainitud veetma 2 Maa päeva Kuu peal tehes pilte ja mõõtes erinevaid asju (näiteks Kuu magnetvälja sondi maandumispaigas).

Kahjuks lõppes missioon ebaõnnestumisega. 11. aprillil alustas kosmoseaparaat Kuu orbiidilt väljumist ja seejärel maandumisprotseduuri. Kosmosesond oli Kuu pinnast 25 kilomeetri kaugusel, tiim juhtis selle pöörlema, et vähendada selle kiirust ja lubada sel maanduda. Ainult mõned minutid olid puudu täielikust maandumisest kui tiim kaotas sondiga ühenduse. Nad olid võimelised mootori uuesti käivitama, kuid kaotasid siiski kontrolli ja kosmoseaparaat kukkus Kuu pinnale puruks.