Reaching the moon was the apex of a dream, which began with a seemingly crazy idea. But it was the daring, willpower and hutzpah, together with all the generous volunteers, that inspired hundreds of thousands and ultimately an entire nation.
On Thursday, finally, I too started getting excited. We had overcome so many hurdles; the launch, circling the earth, the survival in space, trapping the moon's orbit; every step so incredibly euphoric.
If only the sensors would indicate zero altitude, if only the spacecraft would continue communicating, if only we could download video footage of the lunar landing; every "if" marks such a monumental achievement. It is incompressible that China, a global power with vast amounts of government funding, just a few years ago accomplished what we did within the framework of our private mission, with a team of 50 people, and a far smaller budget.
Israel Aerospace Industries was with us from the first step and we never could have started without it. Its experience, knowledge and help all lifted the project off the ground.
When we began, help was rather hard to come by. Only a few people understood the significance of the project and pitched in, wholeheartedly, most notably Dr. Miriam and Sheldon Adelson and of course, Morris Kahn.
The project is more than the spacecraft. It encompasses the immense interest created by our journey to the moon.
Our hope for Israel is that this is just the first in a long line of missions into deep space and efforts to tackle other challenges. If we can do tremendous things, like reaching a specific point on the moon, following a lunar voyage of 6.5 million kilometers (4 million miles), we can achieve even more impossible dreams.
The Adelson family owns the company that is the primary shareholder in Israel Hayom. Dr. Miriam Adelson is the publisher of Israel Hayom.
The writer is one of the three founders of SpaceIL's mission to the moon.
