SpaceIL, an Israeli non-profit, is competing in the Google Lunar X Prize competition and as a part of it has booked a rocket ride to send a probe to the moon. It is a great moment for the Israeli space program as there are very few nations that have succeeded to make it to the surface of the moon.

If all goes well and the mission is announced successful then it will be the first Israeli mission and also the first private spaceflight mission to be reach at the moon's surface. Not only this, the team will join the list of lunar explorers- the US, Russia and China.

Out of all, SpaceIL is the first team to have booked a private ride to the moon out of all the 16 Lunar X Prize teams. Due to the high cost of missions to the moon has limited them as government initiatives.

Main aim of the Google Lunar X prize competition is to change this scenario with their financial incentives.

The team that will make a soft landing on the moon and getting the first prize will get $20 million and the second team will receive $5 million. In the competition, the participants have been asked to use technology and methodology that significantly cuts total cost of spaceflight.

"We kicked off this challenge in 2007 to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in space through low-cost, efficient access to the moon", said Yasemin Denari Southworth, manager of cultural activation and partnerships.

She adds, "But until now, all the tinkering has been on terra firma. SpaceIL's securing of a verified launch contract by the December 2015 deadline keeps the competition open to all Google Lunar XPRIZE teams, who now have until the end of 2016 to secure their own launch contracts to head to the moon by the end of 2017."