Israel Airports Authority lists moon landing on its timetable
Beresheet spacecraft expected at Terminal 3 between flights from Istanbul and Madrid, website jokes
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Alongside incoming flights from Istanbul and Madrid, the Israel Airports Authority listed the Beresheet moon landing on its arrival timetable.
The flight carrier is identified as Israel Aerospace Industries and the landing scheduled for 10 p.m., although the landing is actually expected to take place at 10:25 p.m.
Marked as “not final,” Beresheet’s touchdown is expected at Ben Gurion’s Terminal 3, according to the site.
The four-legged spacecraft is expected to land in the Sea of Serenity after 47 days and 6.5 million kilometers of flight, making Israel the fourth country to land a spaceship on the moon.
Engineers activated Beresheet’s engines on Wednesday night for a final maneuver, putting the spacecraft into its smallest elliptical orbit around the moon, which meant it completed a full circuit in just two hours. At its closest point, the spacecraft is 15 to 17 kilometers (9.3-10.6 miles) above the moon’s surface.
https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/CcHlCYwP-U4CTA3JQ
If all goes to plan, the spacecraft will gently set down on the lunar surface and spend two to three days carrying out science experiments studying the moon’s magnetic field before the sun’s rays will become too strong and disable the spacecraft’s computers.
Viewers can attend parties scheduled around Israel or follow along at home on the Beresheet English Facebook page or YouTube channel.
The Times of Israel Community.