The science mission of SpaceIL's Beresheet lander

Oded Aharonson, Christopher T. Russell, James W. Head, Mark Wieczorek, Ian Garrick-Bethell, Benjamin P. Weiss, David E. Smith, Kathryn Rowe, Asaf Grosz, Shai Amrusi, Alexander Novoselsky, Nadav Nahaman, Yuval Grossman, Yonatan Shimoni, Ariel Gomez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

SpaceIL's lunar lander mission Beresheet was launched on February 22, 2019 and impacted its targeted landing site in Mare Serenitatis on the Moon on April 11, 2019. The spacecraft carried a package of scientific instruments including a fluxgate magnetometer and a retroreflector array for laser ranging, as well as a suite of cameras. Orbital measurements of the magnetic field from Kaguya and Lunar Prospector guided the selection of the landing site to a location west of Posidonius crater in the Serenitatis plains, where the magnitude of the modeled magnetic field reaches 8–10 ​nT ​at the surface. Data was collected by the SILMAG magnetometer from Earth orbit, lunar orbit, and during the descent maneuver, although its interpretation is hindered by the presence of a spacecraft field.

Original languageEnglish
Article number105115
Number of pages8
JournalPlanetary and Space Science
Volume194
Early online date13 Oct 2020
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2020

Keywords

  • Lander
  • Magnetic field
  • Magnetometer
  • Moon

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The science mission of SpaceIL's Beresheet lander'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this