SpaceIL

SpaceIL is an Israeli nonprofit organization competing in the Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP) to land a spacecraft on the Moon in 2017. SpaceIL aims to launch the smallest and lightest vehicle to ever land on the Moon. Its total budget is estimated at US$36 million, provided mainly by philanthropists.

SpaceIL's entry is unique among GLXP contenders, in that instead of building a tracked or wheeled rover, SpaceIL plans to meet the requirement to travel 500 meter on the lunar surface by having the lander "hop" from its landing site to another site 500 meters away using rocket propulsion.

SpaceIL team was formed as a nonprofit organization wishing to promote scientific and technological education in Israel. The founders of the team stated that if they win the competition, the money will be donated to educational purposes. SpaceIL has over 200 members, 95% of them are volunteers.

The founders of the team are: Yariv Bash, an electronics and computer engineer in the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya; Kfir Damari, a Computer Networking lecturer; and Yonatan Winetraub, an electrical engineer in Israel Aerospace Industries. Eran Privman is the CEO of SpaceIL. The team is supported by Israel Space Agency, Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael Systems and Elbit Systems. SpaceIL is also supported by educational institutions, including the Technion, Tel Aviv University, Weizmann Institute of Science and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

In April 2014, American casino magnate and philanthropist Sheldon Adelson donated US$16.4 million to the team.

In October 2015, SpaceIL paid the significant launch deposit to book a launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 via Spaceflight Industries with a co-lead spot and a planned launch date in 2017.

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Wikipedia