The Israel Space Agency (ISA) in the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology signed a joint statement of intent (SOI) with NASA to collaborate on the Beresheet2 lunar Mission, on the sidelines of the 18th Ilan Ramon International Space Conference.
NASA Associate Administrator, Mr. Robert D. Cabana, and ISA Director, Mr. Uri Oron, reiterated the importance of the long-standing relationship between the space agencies, including on education and their continued cooperation on Earth and space science.
Under the joint SOI, NASA is expected to contribute a Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer, communication network support, and coordination with the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. NASA will participate in the selection of landing sites and join the mission’s science team. ISA, in coordination with SpaceIL, is expected to participate in the Beresheet2 mission to the Moon and act in accordance with open science principles. Beresheet2 builds on the success of the first NASA-ISA collaboration in 2019, on SpaceIL's Beresheet1, the first private spacecraft to fly to the moon, which impacted more than 2 million students worldwide, inspiring them to engage in STEM education. Beresheet2 is planned to launch by SpaceIL in 2025.
MK Ofir Akunis, Israel’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology: "The Beresheet project is the pride of Israel’s groundbreaking science and technology. The collaboration with NASA and our new agreement, which I welcome, is a further testimony to the excellent relations between Israel and the USA and to the intensifying cooperation on science and technology issues."
Mr. Robert D. Cabana, NASA Associate Administrator: “The moon is an exciting destination to explore and I look forward to the scientific discoveries that will come from the Beresheet-2 mission. Our partnership on this lunar mission and Israel’s commitment to the Artemis Accords are enabling us to explore the Moon together.”
Shimon Sarid, SpaceIL CEO: “We are thrilled and honored that NASA and the Israeli Space Agency signed a cooperation agreement about our challenging lunar mission Beresheet2. We are thankful for the continuous support to SpaceIL and we hope that we'll continue to push the boundaries of space exploration and space education together”.
Photo credit: Ronen Horesh, GPO