The crowd tenses as they realize that the mission can still end in failure
W
ill We Make It?
April 11, 2019
Israel Aerospace Industries, Yehud, Israel
The control room is mostly quiet, which is eerie considering how many engineers, technicians, and scientists are in the room, sitting at their work stations. They’re all wearing headphones so they can communicate with their teams without disturbing each other. Several cameramen are recording this moment for posterity.
Overlooking the control room is an observation room. With theatre-style seating, the observation room provides a front-row seat to one of the State of Israel’s most important technological achievements to date: the moon-landing of the Beresheet spacecraft. The room is filled with dozens of officials and dignitaries who have been invited to watch the final moments of the mission. Among them are Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Ambassadors David Friedman and Morris Kahn, the South African-Israeli billionaire who provided most of the funding for the project.
Ofer Doron, a manager at IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries), is providing a running commentary for the benefit of those watching. “We’re about to start the landing process,” he exclaims. “Twenty-five minutes to landing!”
The excitement in the room is palpable. Several minutes later, Doron announces, “We have passed the point of no return. We are in the landing process.” Applause immediately breaks out in the observation room.
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