Only Russia, the United States and China they’ve made “soft” lunar landings on the satellite, beginning with the former Soviet Union’s Luna 9 mission in 1966. And the United States alone has put astronauts on the moon, 12 men in six trips.
The exclusive group of countries that have reached the Moon is small, as can be seen. Nine nations have managed to orbit it, five were able to deposit. However, this selected set could be expanded and now Chile has the option to write their name on the list thanks to a participation in an Israeli space project.
If it materializes, the transandean country it would be the first in South America in reaching the moon.
If the ambitious mission is completed, the Trans-Andean country would also become the second country to reach the farthest shore, the dark side of the moon.
It’s about Beresheet 2a project by the Israeli NGO SpaceIL which aims to launch a spacecraft so that it not only orbits the Moon, but lands on it.
The Israeli non-profit company managed to reach the Moon in 2019. But instead of landing safely, the Beresheet spacecraft It crashed on the moon and was destroyed.
The mission has Support from NASA, the German Space Agency and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, there are talks with Australia, France, Morocco, Sweden and Switzerland to enter the educational or scientific level of the project. To expand the collaborations, the SpaceIL team thought about an alliance in the southern hemisphere, and set their sights on Chile.
As reported by the TN site, Chile is being considered because of its institutional and academic developmentas well as knowledge on space issues, thanks to success Chilean satellite program.
When asked by TN Tecno, José Maza, a Chilean astronomer, explained his country’s participation in the project: “The nation would contribute 12.5% of the budget (about 15 million dollars) and all the technology would be Israeli”.
Chile will also contribute engineers who will collaborate in the design, architecture and execution of the project. AS, one of the ships would have carried the Chilean flag.
shimon sarid, CEO of SpaceIL, explained that he chose Chile for several reasons. “The country already has a space program and intends to improve its air capabilities.” On the other hand, the Israeli highlighted the international cooperation between the two nations decades ago. And he further supported it Chile is a regional leader in space and one of the most advanced in the southern hemisphere.
The decision to cooperate now rests with Chile and it has until the end of May to respond. At the moment, and if there are no delays, the ship is expected to be launched between June and August 2025.
Maza added: “This project with the Israelis is interesting if it happens. However, we still have to increase investments by a factor of 10 before you even think about doing spacey stuff.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.