Eytan Stibbe’s journey into outer space, which is scheduled to begin today, began a few years ago, in a conversation he had with former astronaut Grat Reisman, a close friend of his and the Ramon family. “I visit Israel every year during space week, and I got to sit with Eytan over a glass of whiskey,” Reisman said. “We discussed the question of who would be the second Israeli astronaut, and I told Eytan that the world was changing, and maybe the government would not be the one to choose him.”
At this point Ethan began to express interest. “We talked about the issue of private flights, and he was very enthusiastic and said he would like to do it. Since several years have passed, and when Axiom talked to me about the issue, I told them I know someone who might want to do it,” he added. “I talked to Ethan and reminded him of that conversation. I asked him if he was still interested. And his first reaction was, ‘My wife will kill me.’ Then he promised to talk to his family about the issue.”
Steve kept his word, and the announcement of his departure to space took place on November 16, 2020, at an event held at the President’s House. Stibbe paid with his money for the ticket, and the estimated cost is $ 55-60 million. The launch was preceded by several months of training at NASA and the European Space Agency, many tests and thousands of hours of consultation with scientists and developers. At the time of launch, and the last of which was announced only last week.
Stibbe referred to the many rejections and said in a special interview with Maariv that they “give us confidence. We understand how many continue to check everything and correct if necessary – it is much better than a scenario where you do not check anything and set off.” He added: “We also get another opportunity to sit and talk to our families – though not physically, as we are still in isolation.”
If the launch is not carried out, the additional possible date is tomorrow. If it is postponed again, it will only take effect in May. “In such a situation, we will leave the isolation and enter it again two weeks before the new due date. For me, there is no limit to the dates,” said Stibbe.