Israeli lunar shepherd Beresheet goes into lunar orbit



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Beresheet, a small Israeli spacecraft with giant ambition to land on the lunar surface, has completed the maneuvers to get into orbit around the moon.

At approximately 10:18 am EST Thursday, the spacecraft launched its engines for six minutes, slowing down enough to be captured by the gravity of the moon. Although the maneuver seemed to have run smoothly, it will take half a day before confirmation that the spacecraft has entered its planned orbit.

This in itself would be a major achievement, achieved only by five countries – the United States, the former Soviet Union, China, Japan and India – and the European Space Agency.

On Thursday, the orbit will have an elliptical shape: the space shuttle will pass less than 310 km from the surface of the moon and will move at 6,200 miles. Three more engine launches over the next week will push Beresheet into a circular orbit 124 miles above the surface.

It was a long journey, designed skimp on the fuel, size and cost. Beresheet, which means "Genesis" or "early" in Hebrew, was launched in February. He turned on his engines several times for raise the highest point of his elliptical path around the Earth, until he crosses the path of the moon.

On Thursday, the moon and Beresheet passed very close together, the gravity of the moon sling Beresheet far from the Earth. While pulling its engines, the spacecraft slowed down enough to allow it to be captured by the gravity of the moon.

Then comes the most difficult part: the landing scheduled for 11 April.

"Our luck is still there, and we will get there," said Morris Kahn, an Israeli telecommunications billionaire who provided financial support to the mission.

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