- Israel has launched the Beresheet- world’s first largely privately funded spacecraft to land on the moon. If the landing is successful, Israel will become the fourth nation to soft land on moon after the former Soviet Union (Luna 2, 1959), the USA (Ranger 4, 1962) and China (Chang’e 4, 2018)
- Beresheet was flown by Space X’s falcon 9 Rocket. It was lifted from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA. Israel’s lunar mission is by Space IL ( a non-profit organization in Israel) and Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI).
- The spacecraft will land at a zone called Mere Serinitatis located in the Northern Hemisphere of the Moon. Once it lands, it will be the smallest spacecraft to land on the lunar surface.
- 2019 is also the 50th anniversary of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission. Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the Moon.
