Funding uncertainty looms over second Israeli lunar lander

The fate of the second Israeli lunar lander, Beresheet 2, is uncertain as the organization developing it has lost a major source of funding. The mission, which was scheduled to launch in 2025, had relied on philanthropic donations, but a group of donors announced in May that they were halting future payments after spending $45 million. SpaceIL, the non-profit organization behind the mission, has not provided any updates on alternative funding efforts. The first Israeli lunar lander, Beresheet, crashed during its attempted landing in 2019.