Watch: Israel’s Lunar Spacecraft Carries Out First Maneuver On Moon Mission

Photo Credit: SpaceIL screen grab via YouTube

Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced Sunday that at 1:29 pm Israel time (6:29 a.m. EST), Beresheet’s first maneuver was completed successfully by SpaceIL and IAI’s engineering team. “The planned maneuver took into account the problems that were identified in the star trackers after launch,” the team said in a statement.

“This was the first time Beresheet’s main engine was activated. The 30-second maneuver was made at a distance of 69,400 km from Earth and will increase the spacecrafts’s closest point of approach to Earth to a distance of 600 km. Beresheet continues its course according to plan and the next maneuver is scheduled for Monday night.”