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An image of the other side of the moon with the Earth in the background. (Photo credit: Eliran Avital)
The Israeli spacecraft Beresheet captured its first images of the far side of the Moon before the historic lunar landings of the spacecraft that will take place later this month.
The spacecraft entered lunar orbit Thursday, capturing the dramatic images of Earth's natural satellite. Beresheet should reach the lunar surface around 4 pm HE on April 11th.
The unmanned spacecraft will take Israel into a select group of nations. Only three countries – the United States, the Soviet Union and China – have made "soft landings" on the lunar surface.
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The spacecraft was launched Feb. 21 from Cape Canaveral Air Base at the top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
A photo taken by Beresheet – the hidden face of the moon during a maneuver at 292 miles altitude of the moon.
(Photo credit: Eliran Avital)
The landing will also be the first private mission to reach the moon. Beresheet, which is the Hebrew word for "start," was developed by SpaceIL, an Israeli non-profit organization, and by Israel, a state-owned group, Aerospace Industries.
In the coming week, SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries will conduct a series of intense maneuvers with Beresheet for the landing, according to a statement released Friday.
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Beresheet was born from the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition to pose an unmanned probe on the moon. The $ 30 million competition was dropped without a winner last year after organizers announced that none of the five finalists would reach the March 31, 2018 deadline for Moon's launch. reports Space.com.
Artist's view of the Beresheet probe on the lunar surface. (SpaceIL)
Nevertheless, the Israeli team continued the development of its 397-pound spacecraft.
The probe will land at Mare Serenitatis in the northern hemisphere of the Moon. SpaceIL notes that the site has magnetic anomalies, which allows the Beresheet magnetometer device to take measurements as part of a scientific experiment. Magnetometer data, developed with the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, will be shared with NASA.
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A Beresheet rendering leading his scientific mission of measuring the magnetic field of the Moon. (SpaceIL)
In addition to his scientific mission, Beresheet also takes a time capsule to the moon. Consisting of three disks, the data of the time capsule include symbols such as the Israeli flag and the national anthem of the country, "Hatikvah". Dictionaries are also available in 27 languages, with the Bible and a children's book inspired by the mission.
Beresheet and its time capsule will remain indefinitely on the lunar surface.
China became the first country to successfully land a probe on the other side of the moon when the LG Chang'e 4 reached the lunar surface on January 2nd.
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The United States is the only country to have placed astronauts on the moon, which was done in December 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission. Only 12 men set foot on the moon.
This photo of March 3, 2019 made available by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries on March 5 shows the Beresheet probe with the Earth in the background.
(SpaceIL, Israeli Aerospace Industries via AP)
On July 20, 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11, lunar landing and landing missions continue to fascinate.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin recently sold a checklist on the surface of the moon auctioned in New York for $ 62,500. During the same auction, three tiny moon rocks reported from space by the Luna-16 unmanned Soviet mission were sold for $ 855,000.
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December 21, 2018 also marked the 50th anniversary of the memorable launch of Apollo 8. In a series of historic lunar orbits, NASA astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders became the first humans to see the hidden side of the moon.
Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
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