An Israeli spacecraft is on its way to the moon.

It was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket Thursday night from Cape Canaveral in the southern U.S. state of Florida.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu watched the takeoff of the unmanned mission live in Israel at the control center of Israel Aerospace Industries.

The Israeli craft is expected to reach its destination on April 11, making Israel the fourth country to land on the moon, behind the U.S., Russia and China.

The $100 million mission was financed mainly through private donors.

The craft’s name is Beresheet, Hebrew for Genesis or “In the Beginning.”  Beresheet is designed to measure the moon’s magnetic field.
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