Beresheet facts for kids
Beresheet was a small robotic spacecraft from Israel. Its main goal was to be the first privately funded mission to land on the Moon. The name Beresheet (Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית) means "Genesis" in Hebrew, like the beginning of a story.
This exciting project showed that private companies could aim for space missions. Beresheet launched in February 2019. It traveled for several weeks before trying to land on the Moon in April 2019.
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The Journey to the Moon
Beresheet did not fly straight to the Moon. Instead, it took a longer, energy-saving path. It orbited Earth several times, slowly getting higher with each orbit. This method saved a lot of fuel.
After about six weeks, Beresheet reached the Moon. It successfully entered orbit around the Moon. This was a big achievement for the team. The spacecraft then prepared for its landing attempt.
What Went Wrong?
On April 11, 2019, Beresheet began its landing sequence. Everything seemed to be going well at first. However, a technical problem happened. A small part called an "IMU unit" failed. This caused a chain of events.
The main engine, which was needed to slow the lander down for a soft landing, shut off unexpectedly. Without the engine working correctly, Beresheet could not slow down enough. It crashed onto the Moon's surface.
Looking to the Future: Beresheet 2
Even though Beresheet crashed, the mission was still seen as a huge step forward. It showed that a small, privately funded team could build a spacecraft and send it all the way to the Moon.
Because of the lessons learned and the public excitement, a new mission was announced. Beresheet 2 was announced on April 13, 2019. This new project aims to try again to land on the Moon and explore its surface.
Images for kids
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Trajectory on a silver medal of the 2019 International Physics Olympiad.
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Crash site of Beresheet as seen by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
