Israel’s private space program, SpaceIL, faces setbacks in its second mission to the moon following a significant reduction in funding from a major donor. Bloomberg reports that SpaceIL, known for its ambitious lunar landing mission Beresheet II, may be forced to cancel its upcoming launch due to a lack of financial support.
SpaceIL co-founder Kfir Damari revealed that although backers had initially committed to investing $90 million, they unexpectedly withdrew after contributing only $45 million. This unforeseen development has caught SpaceIL off guard, as it was not part of their planned budget adjustments.
Damari surmises that the sudden withdrawal stems from global economic uncertainty and political tensions surrounding Israel’s extensive judiciary reforms. “The supporters chose to allocate their resources to other causes, citing the ‘current situation,’ without specifying the exact reason,” he said.
In 2019, SpaceIL made history by attempting the world’s first private lunar landing using solely private funds. Unfortunately, their mission failed due to an engine malfunction upon touchdown on the moon’s surface. Now, facing reduced funding, the future of SpaceIL’s second lunar landing mission hangs in the balance.
As SpaceIL grapples with this setback, uncertainties surrounding the financial support required for their ambitious project underscore the challenges faced by private space exploration initiatives.
[사진: 스페이스아이엘(SpaceIL)]
[디지털투데이 AI리포터] Israel’s private space program, SpaceIL, has been derailed from its second mission to the moon by a major donor funding cut.
According to Bloomberg on the 21st (local time), Israel’s private space organization, SpaceIL, is in danger of canceling the launch of its second lunar landing mission, Beresheet II, due to lack of funding.
“The backers agreed to invest $90 million, but withdrew after giving only $45 million,” said SpaceIL co-founder Kfir Damari. “This surprised us and was not planned.”
He attributes the sudden withdrawal to global financial uncertainty and political tensions over the Israeli government’s massive judicial overhaul plans. “The supporters decided to contribute to other causes because of the ‘current situation’ without citing a specific cause,” he said.
SpaceIL attempted to land on the moon with private funds for the first time in the world in 2019, but failed due to engine failure on the lunar surface.
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