First images of an Israeli spacecraft on the other side of the moon

The lunar satellite Beresheet, the first Israeli spacecraft, has returned to Earth its first photos taken from the other side of the moon after successfully establishing a lunar orbit.

In a statement released Friday morning by SpaceIL, the company that designed and operated Beresheet, the spacecraft is on track to make its planned landing on April 11 as a result of a successful maneuver Thursday.

"After reviewing the preliminary data that Beresheet received during the night from the SpaceIL and IAI engineering team, the control room updates the fact that Beresheet is in an excellent orbit!

"The nearest point of the moon (Perilune) is 470 km from the moon and the farthest point of the moon (Apolune) to 10 400 km.

"The landing is scheduled for 11 April around 11 pm Israeli time – a precise update will be published in the coming days. During the coming week, intense maneuvers will prepare you for landing.

"Yesterday, during the lunar capture critical maneuver, Beresheet photographed amazing photos of the moon while activating the engines."

The images taken by Beresheet were captured while the spacecraft was 470 kilometers (292 miles) above the surface of the moon.

Beresheet view from the other side of the moon SpaceIL