{"id":17991,"date":"2019-02-24T14:00:10","date_gmt":"2019-02-24T19:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=17991"},"modified":"2019-02-24T12:08:23","modified_gmt":"2019-02-24T17:08:23","slug":"spaceil-beresheet-lunar-mission-update-ispace-of-japan-to-launch-lunar-orbiter-and-lander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=17991","title":{"rendered":"SpaceIL Beresheet lunar mission update + iSpace of Japan to launch lunar orbiter and lander"},"content":{"rendered":"

SpaceIL<\/a>‘s Beresheet lunar lander<\/a>, launched as a secondary payload on a Falcon 9 last Thursday evening, has completed its first engine firing, which will raise the altitude of the perigee (low point) of its highly elliptical orbit around the earth so that it doesn’t reenter the atmosphere.\u00a0 First Israeli lunar spacecraft completes first maneuver – Israel National News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The maneuver was made at a distance of 69,400 km from Earth for 30 seconds and will increase the spacecrafts closest point of approach to Earth to a distance of 600 km.<\/em><\/p>\n

Beresheet continues its course according to plan and the next maneuver is scheduled for Monday night.<\/em><\/p>\n

As seen on this video, the craft will need to carry out several engine firings to extend its orbit outward to the Moon and then go into orbit around it:<\/p>\n