Israeli Beresheet moon lander mission timeline and trajectory. Credit: SpaceIL/IAI

Beresheet lunar lander provided by Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 on Feb 21, 2019. Credit Space IL/IAI

Monday’s maneuver was to be the second of the
mission since it launched successfully last Thursday evening Feb 21 on a recycled
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Florida Space Coast.


The first firing took place as planned Feb 24
when Beresheet’s main engine was successfully ignited at 1:29 p.m. Israel time
(6:29 a.m. EST).


“Beresheet’s first maneuver was completed
successfully by SpaceIL and IAI’s engineering team. The planned maneuver took
into account the problems that were identified in the star trackers after
launch.”


“The 30-second maneuver was made at a distance of 69,400 km from Earth
and will increase the spacecraft’s closest point of approach to Earth to a
distance of 600 km.” 

Long duration streak shot of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 1st launch of 2019 from Florida Space Coast delivering Nusantara Satu communications satellite to Earth orbit for Indonesia and the privately funded Beresheet moon launder on lunar trajectory for Israel after Feb 21, 2019 nighttime liftoff at 8:45 PM EST from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL – as moon rises at right.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Liftoff
of the recycled SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying the Nusantara Satu communications
satellite for Indonesia and the privately funded Beresheet moon launder for
Israel took place right on time Thursday evening Feb. 21 at 8:45 p.m. EST (0145 GMT Friday) at the opening of the 32 minute long launch window
from Space
Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.


To date only three countries have successfully
landed on the Moon- the US, Russia and China and those were all government run
missions.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off on 1st launch of 2019 from Florida Space Coast delivering Nusantara Satu communications satellite to Earth orbit for Indonesia and privately funded Beresheet moon launder on lunar trajectory for Israel after Feb 21, 2019 nighttime liftoff at 8:45 PM EST  from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Beresheet was developed at a cost of almost $100
million and will be the world’s first privately funded and developed moon
lander.


The Falcon 9 launch propelled Beresheet onto the proper
trajectory to begin a series of 4 elongating long looping orbits to gradually
reach the moon.


The four landing legs were deployed as planned soon after
launch.


Beresheet, which in Hebrew
means “genesis” or “in the beginning” was one of the competitors for the now
defunct Google Lunar XPrize.


If successful it will be
the smallest spacecraft to ever land on the Moon, at only 1,322 lbs, or 600 kgs,
fueled. The probe has an unfueled mass of 180 kg. 


Beresheet is traveling to the
Moon using its own power and thruster after launching as a rideshae payload.  

Artists concept of Israeli Beresheet lunar lander mission with sponsors. Credit: SpaceIL/IAI

The voyage will take about  two months over several expanding elliptical orbits
– for the longest ever trip to Earth’s nearest neighbor covering a total distance of 6.5 million km. 


It was
achieve orbit on April 4. If all goes well lunar touchdown was scheduled for
April 11 at Mare Serenitatis (Sea of Serenity).


The impact
of the cancelled thruster firing is not yet known. 


It will transmit photos
and video from the lunar surface and conduct scientific measurements with a magnetometer
and laser retroreflector from NASA Goddard. Also onboard is aa
Israeli flag, a time capsule, and a lunar library. 


Beresheet has a lifetime of about 2 days. There
is no thermal control. The team hopes to make it hop about 500 meters before it
dies.


The moon probe measures 2 meters (6.6 ft) in
diameter and 1.5 meters in height. 


Watch my post launch interview
on i24 Isreali TV News here:

Dr. Ken Kremer/Space UpClose interviewed by i24 anchor Michelle Makori during Beresheet mission launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Feb 21, 2019

For more all on this
Fox 35 Orlando interviewed me about the Nusantara Satu/Beresheet moon lander  launch and Mr. Steven’s arrival and fairing recovery goals. 


http://www.fox35orlando.com/news/local-news/spacex-plans-falcon-9-rocket-launch-for-thursday

Meanwhile the Falcon 9 first stage that
launched Beresheet and then safely touched down on the OCISLY droneship at sea arrived
into Port Canaveral by tugboat Sunday morning, Feb 24, just 2.5 days after blastoff. 

3 Roundtrips to Space and Back: This recovered SpaceX Falcon 9 booster soft landed atop OCISLY drone ship sailed into Port Canaveral past Jetty Park Pier Sunday morning, Feb 24 towed by Signet Warhorse tugboat just 2.5 days after launching privately funded Israeli Beresheet moon lander Feb 21, 2019 and Indonesian Nusantara Satu comsat from Space Launch Complex-40 on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, FL.  Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com/spaceupclose.com

Watch for Ken’s continuing
onsite coverage of NASA, SpaceX, ULA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman
and more space and mission reports direct from the Kennedy Space Center, Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida and Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.


Stay tuned here for Ken’s continuing Earth and
Planetary science and human spaceflight news: www.kenkremer.com –www.spaceupclose.com – twitter @ken_kremer
– email: ken at kenkremer.com

Dr. Kremer is a research scientist and journalist based in the KSC
area, active in outreach and interviewed regularly on TV and radio about space
topics.