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Israel’s Beresheet Spacecraft Now Orbiting the Moon

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Israel's Beresheet spacecraft successfully escaped Earth's gravitational pull and entered the moon's orbit Thursday afternoon.

The complicated maneuver was a defining moment in Israel's mission to the moon and the engineering team said the spacecraft "is in an excellent orbit."

During the upcoming week, scientists will conduct intense preparations for Beresheet's landing, which is scheduled for April 11 at approximately 23:00 (11 p.m) Israeli time.

According to a video explaining Thursday's maneuver, the moon pulled Beresheet out of the earth's orbit and will accelerate it towards the moon.

Beresheet will circle the moon until it is time to land.

Once the spacecraft lands, its mission will last two to three days and once it lands, the craft will take pictures of the lunar surface and conduct experiments.

The spacecraft is also bringing God's written word to the moon. It will carry a time capsule containing a database of hundreds of files. The files include a copy of the Bible, information about SpaceIL, Israeli national symbols, and other materials.

The capsule will be left on the moon's surface after Israel completes its mission there.

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About The Author

Emily
Jones

Emily Jones is a multi-media journalist for CBN News in Jerusalem. Before she moved to the Middle East in 2019, she spent years regularly traveling to the region to study the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, meet with government officials, and raise awareness about Christian persecution. During her college years, Emily served as president of Regent University's Christians United for Israel chapter and spoke alongside world leaders at numerous conferences and events. She is an active member of the Philos Project, an organization that seeks to promote positive Christian engagement with the Middle