Returning to the moon: NASA will cooperate in the "Genesis 2" mission - Walla! Technology

Genesis spacecraft (Photo: SpaceIL)

Returning to the moon:

Yesterday (Wednesday) the Israeli Space Agency signed a joint statement of intent (SOI) with NASA for cooperation in SpaceIL's "Beresheit 2" mission to the moon, at the 18th Ilan Ramon International Space Conference held at the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv. The launch is planned to take place in 2025.

As part of the joint statement of intent, NASA is expected to donate a spectrometer for linear energy transfer, support for a communication network and coordination with NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Mission. Later, the American space agency is expected to participate in the selection of landing sites and membership in the scientific team. The Israeli Space Agency, in coordination with the SpaceIL association, is expected to participate in the Genesis 2 mission to the moon and operate in accordance with the principles of open science.

The joint statement of intent of "Bereshit 2" is built on the success of the first collaboration in 2019, in the "Bereshit 1" mission, the first private spacecraft to fly to the moon - but crashed before landing.

The spacecraft has had a huge educational impact on more than 2 million students worldwide, inspiring them to pursue science, technology, engineering and math studies.

Robert (Bob) Cavanagh, Deputy Administrator of NASA, and Uri Oron, Director of the Israel Space Agency, who represented NASA and the Israel Space Agency, noted the long-standing relationship between the two space agencies, which includes education and research in earth and space sciences.

The landing that was not on the moon - the "Bereshit" spacecraft failed to land on the moon (photo: spaciIL and the Aerospace Industry)

MK Ofir Akunis, Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology: "The Genesis project is the pride of Israel's groundbreaking science and technology.

The cooperation and the new agreement with NASA is further proof of this and I welcome its signing. It is also further evidence of the excellent relations between Israel and the US and the deepening of cooperation in matters of science and technology."

Mr. Robert D. Cavanagh, NASA Deputy Administrator: "The Moon is a fascinating target for research and I look forward to the scientific discoveries that will come from the Genesis 2 mission.

Our partnership in the moon mission and Israel's commitment to the Artemis agreements allow us to explore the moon together."

Shimon Sharid, CEO of the SpaceIL association: "We are happy and excited about the cooperation agreement between NASA and the Israeli Space Agency regarding the Genesis 2 mission.

We are grateful for the continued support of the SpaceIL association and hope that together,

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