![\"SpaceIL's](\"https:\/\/wp-assets.futurism.com\/2019\/04\/israeli-moon-lander-touchdown-300x158.png\")
<\/div>Lunar Lander<\/h2>
If all goes according to plan, Israel will earn a place in history on Thursday as the fourth nation ever to land a spacecraft on the Moon<\/a> — and unlike any craft that came before it, this Moon lander was privately funded.<\/p> Beresheet<\/a> is the work of SpaceIL<\/a>, a nonprofit Israeli space company. On Feb. 21, the company launched its $100 million spacecraft on a journey to the Moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket<\/a>, and on April 4, it settled into the Moon’s orbit.<\/p> The next step in the mission is for Beresheet to attempt to land on the surface of the Moon sometime between 3 and 4 p.m. ET on Thursday.<\/p> Beresheet’s target landing site is in the northeastern part of Mare Serenitatis, also known as the Sea of Serenity.<\/p> “On the basis of our experience with Apollo, the Serenitatis sites favor both landing safety and scientific reward,” SpaceIL team member Jim Head said in a press release<\/a>.<\/p> SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries, the company that built Beresheet, will live-stream<\/a> Thursday’s touch-down attempt, so the world will have a chance to watch along as Israel tries to land itself a spot in the history books.<\/p> READ MORE:<\/strong> Israel’s Beresheet space probe prepares for historic moon landing<\/a> [NBC News<\/em>]<\/p> More on Beresheet:<\/strong> Israel’s Moon Lander Just Got Photobombed by the Earth<\/a><\/em><\/p> The post The Israeli Moon Lander Is About to Touch Down<\/a> appeared first on Futurism<\/a>.<\/p> Go here to read the rest: Lunar Lander If all goes according to plan, Israel will earn a place in history on Thursday as the fourth nation\u00a0ever to land a spacecraft on the Moon \u00a0\u2014 and unlike any craft that came before it, this Moon lander was privately funded. Beresheet is the work of\u00a0 SpaceIL , a nonprofit Israeli space company. Continue reading Watch Along<\/h2>
The Israeli Moon Lander Is About to Touch Down<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"