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The Moons next visitor
On February 18th, Israeli firm SpaceIL is ready to launch [space.com] from Cape Canaveral, Florida what will become
the first privately funded mission to launch from Earth and land on the moon, and the first spacecraft to propel itself over the lunar surface after landing by "hopping" on its rocket engine to a second landing spot. The mission marks yet another milestone, not only in the history and technical arc of space exploration, but also in how humankind goes about space exploration.
The lander for the mission, dubbed 'Beresheet' which stands for "In the beginning", is
about the size and shape of a family dinner table, roughly 6 feet in diameter and 4 feet high, weighing (on Earth) about 350 pounds
The article neglects to mention that a single layer of approximately 462 of the landers would fit within the confines of an Ice Hockey rink.
[T]he mission will ride into space as a secondary payload — like a rideshare passenger — aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
The primary payload is a communications satellite bound for geostationary orbit (less than 1/10 of the way to the moon). Once dropped off at geostationary orbit by the Falcon 9,
with a small amount of additional energy from its own propulsion system, Beresheet can boost its own orbit by positioning itself so that it's captured by the moon's gravitational pull. This process will take several weeks.
Sadly,
Once landed on the moon, however, the mission may only last a few more days. The lander is not designed for the long haul, but instead will demonstrate advances in technology as well as the business model for a privately funded spacecraft landing on another body in the solar system.
It is always possibile that future moon hikers will come across the lander's various landing spots on the lunar surface. No doubt future moon park rangers will inform them that Beresheet's hop locations can be identified by deposits the lander made which contain small bells and smell like pepper.
