The Israeli spacecraft Beresheet reached the moon on Thursday but its planned controlled or “soft” landing was unsuccessful.
The SpaceIL craft "definitely crashed on the surface of the moon," according to Doron Opher, general manager of the space division of Israel Aerospace Industries.
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The Israeli spacecraft Beresheet reached the moon on Thursday but it's planned controlled or “soft” landing was unsuccessful, the support team said.
The spacecraft had a number of technical problems during its final descent to the lunar surface, the team said.
The event was a tragedy for everyone involved. The spacecraft was supposed to make history as the first privately funded lunar mission but lost all contact to earth right before the supposed landing on the moon's surface.
Israel tried to gain a space amongst the three powers, which achieved successful landings: Russia, China and the United States.