A private Israeli lunar lander is about to drop onto the Moon, becoming the first of its kind to do so.

The spacecraft, known as Beresheet or Genesis in Hebrew, is in orbit over the Moon and is slowly dropping down until it will land on the surface.

When SpaceIL lands on the moon, it will set two major firsts for lunar exploration. It will be the first time that a moon lander has come from a country that wasn't China, Russia or the US, and it will also mark the first time that such a mission has been completed by a private company rather than a public space agency.

When it does, and lands on its four legs, it will get to work with the on-board magnetometer it is carrying to examine the moon's magnetic field. It is also carrying a reflector that will be able to bounce lasers back to the Earth, allowing for more detailed calcuations of how far away the Moon is.

It will only do its work for two days. After that, with no thermal control, the lander will heat up in the sun and die.

Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures Show all 12 1 /12 Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures Video grab from the live transmission of the launch on February 21 AFP/Getty Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures Israeli spacecraft Beresheet crashes into the moon in a botched landing attempt Reuters Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures The landing attempt was being streamed back on earth, this image was grabbed from the livestream just before crashing EPA Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures A long exposure photograph of the launch AP Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with Israel's Lunar Lander and an Indonesian communications satellite at space launch complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida AP Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with Israel's Lunar Lander and an Indonesian communications satellite at space launch complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida AP Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with Israel's Lunar Lander and an Indonesian communications satellite at space launch complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida Reuters Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off with Israel's Lunar Lander and an Indonesian communications satellite at space launch complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Florida Reuters Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is prepped for launch Reuters Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is prepped for launch Reuters Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is prepped for launch AP Israel space mission ends by crashing into the moon: in pictures A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is prepped for launch AP

It will leave behind the vast "time capsule" it took with it, stored digitally. As well as a fully copy of Wikipedia, it is also carrying a variety of different documents related to the country from where it came, including a copy of the Israeli national anthem and the country's flag.

The lander has been orbiting the Moon since last week, when it arrived at the lunar after being sent up from Earth on board a SpaceX rocket that set off in February.

Its landing will see it drop down onto the Mare Serenitatis area of the Moon. Its controllers have joked that it will make it their one way or another: either in one piece or smashed up on the surface, if the landing does not go well.