Crash landing

A self portrait taken during descent showed part of the spacecraft and the moon’s surface about 14 miles away.

Shortly after the image was taken, mission controllers reported a problem with Beresheet’s main engine, and then lost communications.

One of the last images returned by the lander shows the moon’s curving horizon and craters in raking sunlight.

If successful, Beresheet would have been the first privately built spacecraft to land on the moon.

Sea of Serenity

Beresheet attempted to land in the Sea of Serenity, on the opposite side of the moon from where China’s Chang’e-4 spacecraft landed in January.

Lunar orbit

Beresheet successfully fired its engine to slow down and be captured by the moon’s gravity. SpaceIL later released images of the far side of the moon taken from a distance of 340 miles:

… and 300 miles:

Earth

SpaceIL released images looking back at Earth, with Israel and much of the Middle East covered in bright cloud.

A self portrait taken about 23,000 miles from Earth showed Australia visible behind part of the spacecraft.

In transit

Beresheet made a slow and steady approach to the moon, gradually extending its orbit until it could be captured by the moon’s gravity.

SpaceIL

Liftoff

Beresheet was launched on a SpaceX rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX





