Israel’s Beresheet (Genesis) spacecraft bound for the Moon on Tuesday sent back a photo taken with its “selfie camera”, in which the Israeli flag can be seen 37,600 kilometres (23,000 miles) above Earth.
A plaque installed on the outside of the space explorer depicts Israel’s national flag as well as the phrases “Am Yisrael Chai” (the people of Israel live) and “Small country, big dreams”.
The picture was taken during a slow spin of the aircraft, with Australia visible in the background.
The Beresheet spacecraft took off from Florida on 24th February, and is due to reach the Moon on 11th April.
If successful, it will make Israel the fourth country to land a probe on the Moon. It will also make history as the first private-sector landing on the Moon.
SpaceIL built Beresheet together with Israel Aerospace Industries but the £70 million mission is primarily financed by Jewish philanthropists.
