SPACE — An Israeli space probe, called the Beresheet, entered lunar orbit last week and is set to land on the moon's surface on Thursday, The Times of Israel reports.
The spacecraft performed a maneuver to reduce its distance from the moon from 750 kilometers to 467 kilometers.
According to Space.com, the probe will land on the Mare Serenitatis, which is on the northern hemisphere of the near side region of the moon. The spacecraft will focus on three possible landing sites in the area. These are Posidonius 1, 2 or 3.
Once the probe lands, it will use a magnetometer to measure the magnetism of moon rocks, according to an Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs news release
This is to get a better understanding of how and when the lunar body acquired its magnetic field. If successful, Israel will become the fourth country to land a probe on the moon.
Previously, nations such as the former Soviet Union, the United States and China have landed a spacecraft on the moon. The mission is a joint project between private Israeli company SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries.
The spacecraft performed a maneuver to reduce its distance from the moon from 750 kilometers to 467 kilometers.
According to Space.com, the probe will land on the Mare Serenitatis, which is on the northern hemisphere of the near side region of the moon. The spacecraft will focus on three possible landing sites in the area. These are Posidonius 1, 2 or 3.
Once the probe lands, it will use a magnetometer to measure the magnetism of moon rocks, according to an Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs news release
This is to get a better understanding of how and when the lunar body acquired its magnetic field. If successful, Israel will become the fourth country to land a probe on the moon.
Previously, nations such as the former Soviet Union, the United States and China have landed a spacecraft on the moon. The mission is a joint project between private Israeli company SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries.
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