Beresheet – what went wrong
April 18, 2019 by JNS
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According to preliminary investigation of the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet’s landing maneuver, it appears that a manual command was entered into the spacecraft’s computer.
Beresheet seconds before engine failure. Photo: screenshot
This led to a chain reaction in the spacecraft, during which the main engine switched off, which prevented it from activating further.
SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) teams continue to investigate further, in order to understand the full picture of what occurred during the mission. In the coming weeks, the final results of the investigation will be released.
SpaceIL President Mr Morris Kahn said: “I am proud of SpaceIL’s team of engineers for their wonderful work and dedication, and such cases are an integral part of such a complex and pioneering project. What is important now is to learn the best possible lessons from our mistakes and bravely continue forward. That’s the message we’d like to convey to the people in Israel and the entire Jewish world. This is the spirit of the Beresheet project.”
