Canadian Billionaire Sylvan Adams Backs Israeli Moon Landing Initiative

Jewish Canadian Billionaire Sylvan Adams has donated $5 million to Israeli non-profit organization SpaceIL, whose goal is to land the first Israeli-made unmanned spacecraft on the moon. Adams announced the donation Sunday during a tour of the facilities of Israel's largest aerospace company Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., where SpaceIL’s spacecraft is currently undergoing advanced testing. Landing an Israeli spaceship on the moon will inspire the children of Israel to pursue science and technology education, Adams said in a statement.

SpaceIL was founded in 2011 to compete in Google’s 10-year space race competition Lunar X Prize, later becoming one of the five finalists. After the competition concluded with no winners in January, SpaceIL announced it would continue with its moon landing mission. In October, SpaceIL said it expects to launch its unmanned spacecraft in early 2019. Also in October, the Israel Space Agency announced a grant of up to $2 million (NIS 7.25 million) to SpaceIL.