July 20, 2025
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Breaking News
  • [ July 18, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites into polar orbit on Falcon 9 rocket from California Falcon 9
  • [ July 15, 2025 ] SpaceX launches first of three missions for Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation Falcon 9
  • [ July 15, 2025 ] SpaceX launches 26 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
  • [ July 14, 2025 ] NASA, SpaceX target July 31 for Crew-11 launch to the ISS Falcon 9
  • [ July 12, 2025 ] SpaceX launches Israeli satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Falcon 9
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Google Lunar X Prize

Mission Reports

Errant command doomed Israeli moon lander, officials vow to try again

April 18, 2019 Stephen Clark

A command uplinked by mission control to resolve an error in the guidance system on the Israeli Beresheet moon lander inadvertently triggered a chain reaction that led to the shutdown of the probe’s main engine during descent to the lunar surface April 11, officials said this week.

Mission Reports

Israeli probe crashes in attempt to become first privately-funded moon lander

April 11, 2019 Stephen Clark

An Israeli-built spacecraft seeking to become the first privately-developed probe to land on the moon crashed on descent Thursday, but the mission was widely lauded as a breakthrough for the commercial space industry, and Israeli prime minster Benjamin Netanyahu said the country would try again.

Mission Reports

Live coverage: Israel’s Beresheet lander lost during descent to the moon

April 11, 2019 Stephen Clark

The privately-funded, Israeli-built Beresheet spacecraft failed Thursday during its historic attempt to land on the moon, seeking to become the first mission to reach the lunar surface without significant government backing. The landing was expected to occur at 1925 GMT (3:25 p.m. EDT).

Mission Reports

Privately-funded Israeli probe set for daring moon landing attempt

April 11, 2019 Stephen Clark

An Israeli-built spacecraft financed through donations from billionaire philanthropists is set to make history Thursday when it tries to become the first privately-funded probe to land on the moon.

Mission Reports

Israel’s Beresheet lander brakes into lunar orbit

April 4, 2019 Stephen Clark

Six weeks after launching from Cape Canaveral, an Israeli-built probe funded through private donations arrived in orbit around the moon Thursday, setting the the stage for the mission’s final descent to the lunar surface April 11.

Mission Reports

Israel’s Beresheet lander heads for make-or-break lunar capture maneuver

April 3, 2019 Stephen Clark

An Israeli spacecraft has one shot Thursday to swing into orbit around the moon with a six-minute engine firing, a critical maneuver that will set up for the privately-funded probe’s historic landing attempt April 11.

Falcon 9

Photos: Beresheet lander tested for historic moon mission

February 21, 2019 Stephen Clark

The Beresheet moon lander will attempt to become the first privately-funded spacecraft to reach the moon, and these photos show the robotic probe’s journey through testing inside a clean room at Israel Aerospace Industries, followed by its attachment to a multi-satellite stack for launch on a Falcon 9 rocket.

Falcon 9

Israeli moon lander prepared for launch

February 21, 2019 Stephen Clark

The privately-funded Israeli Beresheet lunar lander is ready for its historic mission to the moon, aiming to become the first space probe to land on another planetary body without government funding.

Members

Q&A with Opher Doron, general manager of IAI’s space division (members only)

February 20, 2019 Stephen Clark

Opher Doron leads the space division at Israel Aerospace Industries, a satellite and aviation contractor that led the industrial team behind the privately-funded Beresheet lander heading to the moon.

News

Organizers confirm no teams will win Google Lunar X Prize

January 24, 2018 Stephen Clark

None of the teams who have spent the last decade chasing a $20 million grand prize by placing a privately-funded lander on the moon will meet a deadline at the end of March to claim the award, the organizers of the Google Lunar X Prize announced Tuesday.

News Headlines

  • SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites into polar orbit on Falcon 9 rocket from California
    July 18, 2025
  • SpaceX launches first of three missions for Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation
    July 15, 2025
  • SpaceX launches 26 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB
    July 15, 2025
  • NASA, SpaceX target July 31 for Crew-11 launch to the ISS
    July 14, 2025
  • SpaceX launches Israeli satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
    July 12, 2025
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  • Members
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