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Israel's SpaceIL Cancels Failed Moon Landing Redo

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JERUSALEM, Israel – SpaceIL, the non-profit organization that tried to send Israel's first spacecraft to the moon, said Tuesday it will not attempt a second moon landing. 

The SpaceIL team failed to safely land the Beresheet spacecraft on the moon in April. 

After the crash landing was seen around the world, SpaceIL chairman Morris Khan said his team would build a Beresheet 2.0 and "complete the mission."

However after lengthy debates, SpaceIL "reached the conclusion that the attempt to repeat the moon journey isn't challenging enough" and their team will find another mission for Beresheet 2.0. 

The company said in a statement that attempting to land on the moon again wouldn't be "raising the bar to meet new challenges." 

"The journey of Beresheet to the Moon, despite the hard landing, will last in the memory of Israel and the world as a successful one, a breakthrough, and very significant for future human journeys to the Moon," it continued. 

The first Beresheet mission cost nearly $100 million and was privately funded.
 

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About The Author

Emily
Jones

Emily Jones is a multi-media journalist for CBN News in Jerusalem. Before she moved to the Middle East in 2019, she spent years regularly traveling to the region to study the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, meet with government officials, and raise awareness about Christian persecution. During her college years, Emily served as president of Regent University's Christians United for Israel chapter and spoke alongside world leaders at numerous conferences and events. She is an active member of the Philos Project, an organization that seeks to promote positive Christian engagement with the Middle