Israel’s First Moon Landing Attempt Fails
Israel is one of only seven countries to have orbited the moon.
Courtesy Space IL/Reuters
Israel’s attempt at a potentially historic moon landing failed on Thursday. The Beresheet lunar lander suffered from engine failure in the final moments of its descent. It was reportedly coming in too fast and at too low of an altitude before the engine failed. The lander would have been the first privately funded spacecraft to land on the moon’s surface, and the first for Israel. Israel is one of only seven countries to have orbited the moon; only the U.S., China, and Russia have successfully landed on the moon. The Israeli spacecraft was privately funded through donations from wealthy philanthropists. Newly re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said of the attempt: “If at first you don't succeed, you try again.” The lunar lander was carrying the Israeli flag along with the slogan, “Small Country, Big Dreams.”
Beresheet came the closest Israel ever has to land on the moon, but unfortunately the landing was not completed successfully.
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) April 11, 2019
We applaud 👏@TeamSpaceIL for a tremendous scientific achievement, they made history by making Israel one of 7 nations who had ever orbited the moon 🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/KuhURIAxBD
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