A radio similar to the one used by NASA in the LADEE mission to the moon, will be used by SpaceIL; The device will be specially designed and built in cooperation with the American company Space Micro
Another milestone was reached on the way to the moon: the SpaceIL association and the Space Micro company announced a new partnership, under which they will jointly open an S-Band transceiver (transmitter) that will be used for communication with the SpaceIL spacecraft. As part of the signed contract, the two will cooperate closely in the development of the transceiver and will make special adjustments to it for the needs of the SpaceIL spacecraft. Thanks to the device, communication with the spacecraft will be possible on its way to the moon, as well as from the moment it lands on the surface of the moon.
SpaceIL is building a small and smart unique spacecraft as part of the Google Lunar X-Prize competition. The competition is an international race where competing teams are required to perform three tasks: safely land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon, move 500 meters, and send high-quality images and video back to Earth. The last part: the transfer of the data back to KDA through the receiver-transmitter, is the most challenging of all the stages of the mission. This is due to the great distance from the Earth (384,000 km), together with the physical and electromagnetic disturbances that exist on the surface of the moon, as well as the requirement to send high quality data. All these make the role and function of the transceiver critical for the success of the mission.
According to the CEO of SpaceIL, Dr. Eran Pribman, "SpaceIL is pleased to announce the technical partnership with Space Micro. The solution they offer is a proven product, which is well adapted to meet the unique requirements of the SpaceIL mission. This partnership strengthens SpaceIL's chances of succeeding in the Google Lunar XPrize challenge. This is another significant step that brings us closer to landing the first Israeli spacecraft on the moon."
Space Micro CEO David J. Strobel said today: "We are very pleased that SpaceIL chose Space Micro due to the high performance of our S-Band transmitter, which was also used on NASA's LADEE mission (also a space mission to the moon) and proved to be durable and suitable for lunar missions. We are excited to join the SpaceIL team and look forward to a very strong partnership."
The partnership with Space Micro comes at the end of a successful technological design survey (PDR) for the spacecraft's antennas, which are also an important part of the communication system. Earlier, a contract was signed for the development of the propulsion system: the engine and the fuel tanks, a system that is the largest and most significant part of the spacecraft.
