Israel’s ‘Beresheet’ Spacecraft Arrives At Cape Canaveral For Next Month’s SpaceX Launch

By  //  January 22, 2019

Beresheet means 'in the beginning' in Hebrew

The moon’s next robotic visitor arrived at Cape Canaveral this week from Israel in preparation for launch next month. (Image by Eliran Avital/SpaceIL)

BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA (WKMG) – The moon’s next robotic visitor arrived at Cape Canaveral this week from Israel in preparation for launch next month.

Nonprofit SpaceIL’s special cargo arrived in a custom temperature-controlled container at Orlando International Airport on Saturday before being driven to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The spacecraft, named Beresheet, which means “in the beginning” in Hebrew, will liftoff for the moon atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sometime next month. The spacecraft will first undergo final tests before launch.

The Israeli mission is the secondary payload on the rocket ride-sharing with Indonesia’s geostationary communications satellite.

“After eight years of hard work, our dream has come true: We finally have a spacecraft,” SpaceIL CEO Ido Anteby said.

“Shipping the spacecraft to the United States is the first stage of a complicated and historic journey to the moon. This is the first of many exciting moments, as we look forward to the forthcoming launch in Cape Canaveral.”

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