SpaceIL

SpaceIL is an Israeli nonprofit organization founded in 2011 and headquartered in Tel Aviv that developed the Beresheet lunar lander — the first privately-funded spacecraft to reach lunar orbit and attempt a soft landing on the Moon — and continues to promote space science and STEM education across Israel's educational system through the SpaceIL Challenge program.

SpaceIL was originally formed to compete in the Google Lunar XPRIZE, a $30 million incentive competition for privately-funded teams to land on the Moon, travel 500 meters, and transmit HD video. The competition expired in 2018 without a winner, but SpaceIL continued development independently, with primary funding from Israeli philanthropist Morris Kahn and significant support from Sheldon Adelson and other Israeli philanthropists.

Beresheet (Hebrew: "Genesis") launched in February 2019 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission from Cape Canaveral, entering lunar orbit in early April after a six-week spiral trajectory that conserved propellant. On April 11, 2019, during powered descent, a gyroscope malfunction triggered an engine reset that caused the main engine to shut down at approximately 150 meters altitude — Beresheet impacted the lunar surface at ~500 km/h. Despite the crash landing, the mission was celebrated: Beresheet became the fourth spacecraft from any nation to orbit the Moon and the first privately-funded spacecraft to do so.

Following Beresheet, SpaceIL pivoted toward Beresheet 2 — an improved lunar lander mission — while expanding its SpaceIL Challenge educational program that has engaged hundreds of thousands of Israeli students in space science, engineering, and robotics competitions, building Israel's next generation of space talent.