On its maiden mission to the moon, Isreali spacecraft Beresheet sent to Earth its first selfie, according to mission chiefs.
The selfie shows a part of the Beresheet spacecraft with the Earth in the background from a distance of 37,600 km (23,363.5 miles).
NGO SpaceIL and Isreal Areospace Industries launched the unmanned Beresheet (Hebrew for 'Genesis') from Cape Canaveral in Florida on February 22 on a seven-week trip to reach the moon and touch down on April 11.
The year 2019 marks the 50th year of the first moon landing, when US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first walked on the lunar surface. Only the US, Russia and China have landed on the moon so far.
The spacecraft, weighing 585kg, was launched off a Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk's SpaceX. Apart from landing on the moon, the spacecraft is also expected to measure the lunar magnetic field, which will help scientists understand the moon's formation. The Beresheet also carries with it a “time capsule” which includes digital files of a Bible, Israeli songs, the Isreali flag, children's drawings and memories of a Holocaust survivor.
India is next in line with hopes to achieve a lunar landing with its Chandrayaan II mission. Japan is also planning to send a small lunar lander to study volcanic areas in 2020-2021.
(With inputs from agencies)
