SpaceIL Update on Moon Lander Crash Analysis and Next Mission Estimate

SpaceIL connected to the Space Access 2019 conference via Skype with a presentation by Yonatan Winetraub. SpaceIL took a time capsule to the moon.

SpaceIL will try to make a second attempt to land on the moon. The first mission crashed after a problem caused the main engine to shut off at the last minute when it was 150 meters from the moon.

SpaceIL provided a summary of the analysis of the failure that caused the crash. They have not finalized the conclusion or crash report. An inertial measurement unit malfunctioned. The computer switched off the inertial measurement unit. There were patches in RAM. Someone tried to turn on the inertial measurement unit. This caused a reset which caused patches in RAM to be lost. A cascade of problems were then triggered.

The next mission they know more about the weight and other parameters. They know they will have the margin to send more weight with the craft. They will put out a request for proposal for companion experiments.

Morris Kahn, President of SpaceIL, announced that SpaceIL will try again to send a lander to the moon.

The new spacecraft will be called Beresheet Shtayim (Shtayim means two in Hebrew).

The new mission should be lower cost. They are still early in the process and do not have a specific timetable for the new mission. The preliminary estimate is that it will take 2 to 3 years for the second lunar landing attempt.

SpaceIL traveled 4 million miles in a series of orbits to get to the moon.

SOURCES – Live Coverage of SpaceIL presentation at Space Access 2019
Written By Brian Wang. Nextbigfuture.com