SpaceIL, Israel's space agency, announced on Wednesday, Dec. 9, that it is already working on its second lunar spacecraft called "Beresheet 2." The upcoming spaceship is a moon lander that is intended to safely land on the moon.

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If Israel's space mission becomes a success, Beresheet 2 will be the first spacecraft built by the private sector to land on the Earth's natural satellite since its antecedent failed back in 2019. According to Haaretz's latest report, SpaceIL plans to launch the spacecraft to the moon by the first half of 2024.

Once the space agency sends off the spacecraft, it will separate into an orbiter, which is designed to fly over the moon for several years. It will also have two landers that will each drop off at a different site.

They will also carry out various scientific experiments that SpaceIL will observe and study.

Is Israel's golden age of space exploration near?

The new project was unveiled at President Reuven Rivlin's official residence. It was launched in cooperation with the Israel Aerospace Industries and the Science Ministry.

During the launch, Rivlin said that science, research, and medicine are important, especially during the pandemic. He also hailed the golden age of Israeli space exploration.

"We realized how much more we have to learn, not only on distant planets and huge galaxies but here on our little Earth," said Israel's president via Haaretz.

The Beresheet 2 will be funded by international cooperation agreements. Half of the cost will be shouldered by sponsorships and donations.

SpaceIL plans a second moon landing attempt

Since the country is already developing Beresheet 2, SpaceIL teased a possible second attempt at the moon. The Jerusalem Post reported that the space agency released a video titled "Back to the Moon."

SpaceIL published the video on its official Twitter account.

"Ready to get excited again?" the space agency captioned.

The SpaceIL's previous mission was a disaster since it crashed in the moon's Sea of Serenity on April 11, 2019. The engineers lost contact with the spacecraft a few minutes before it was about to complete its mission.

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Written by: Giuliano de Leon.