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First private Moon lander heralds new lunar space race

An Israeli firm has sent a privately built craft called Beresheet to the Moon — and is leading a fresh era of exploration.
  1. Elizabeth Gibney
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View of the Moon's horizon, with a flat plain on the left and a rocky landscape on the right.

The Moon’s northern hemisphere, the planned touchdown site for the Beresheet lander. Credit: NASA

Israel is heading for the Moon — and a lunar milestone. If all goes well, a lander that launched on 21 February will become the first privately funded craft to land on the Moon. The feat seems set to kick off a new era of lunar exploration — one in which national space agencies work alongside private industries to investigate and exploit the Moon and its resources.

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Nature 566, 434-436 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-00634-8

Updates & Corrections

  • Update 22 February 2019: This story has been updated to note that Beresheet successfully launched at 8:45 p.m. EST on 21 February.

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