Israel's Beresheet spacecraft beams back selfie with Earth in background

An Israeli spacecraft has finally made it to Moon's surface and it has beamed back its first-ever selfie, confirmed mission chiefs. The image shows the spacecraft with the Earth in the background. The image was sent to mission control in Yehud, Israel -- 37,600 kilometers (23,360 miles) away.

NGO SpaceIL and state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, blasted off the Beresheet (Genesis in Hebrew), from Cape Canaveral on February 22. The spacecraft weighs 585 Kg and was sent to the moon with the help of SpaceX' Falcon 9 rocket. The mission will last for seven weeks, with the spacecraft expected to touchdown on April 11.

Only the US, Russia, and China have made it to Moon before this mission. China's Chang'e-4 was the first ever spacecraft to land on the far side of the Moon on January 3. The Chinese space agency will now be focusing to build a solar-powered space station. Scientists have already started working on the construction of an experimental base.

Israel's space mission will measure the magnetic field that will help in understanding the formation of Earth's natural satellite. The spacecraft also packs a "time capsule" that comprises a Bible, children's drawings, Israeli songs, memories of a Holocaust survivor, and the country's national flag. Besides, India also has plans to become the fifth nation to land on the moon with its Chandrayaan-2 mission.