Israel is preparing to journey to the Moon, and hopes to have joined the exclusive club of countries that have made contact with the lunar surface come April.

The Beresheet spacecraft is set to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket next month. All going according to plan, the spacecraft is expected to land on the Moon two months later.

If Israel’s lunar ambitions become a reality they will join the US, Russia and China in making a ‘soft landing’ on the moon. The plan is to study the unusual magnetic energy at the Sea of Serenity in the satellite’s northern hemisphere.

Beresheet, developed by Israeli space organization SpaceIL with Israel Aerospace Industries, landed in Florida last week and is currently stored in a custom-built, air conditioned shipping container.

Easy landing in Florida early this morning ouw to Cape Canaveral. 🚀🚀 #IsraelToTheMoonpic.twitter.com/VlDpB5f7B3 — SpaceIL (@TeamSpaceIL) January 19, 2019

After its launch, the spacecraft will orbit the Earth three times before entering the moon’s orbit, circling the pockmarked satellite twice before making a landing.

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