Enroute moon, Israel's 1st spacecraft snaps ultimate selfie showing Earth

An Israeli spacecraft on its maiden mission to the moon took the ultimate selfie and sent it back on Earth on Tuesday. Organizers for the privately funded mission released the photo Tuesday, 1 ½ week after its launch.

The picture shows the spacecraft Beresheet, Hebrew for Genesis, orbiting some 23,300 miles (37,600 kilometers) away, with the entire Earth as the stunning Apollo-style backdrop. Australia easily stands out. A plaque reads: “Small Country, Big Dreams” and “The people of Israel live.”

READ: Israel Flying To Moon After SpaceX Launch

With the launch of the aircraft Beresheet, Israel seeks to become only the fourth country to successfully land on the moon, after Russia, the U.S. and China. The spacecraft Beresheet will take nearly two months to reach the moon.

“We thought it’s about time for a change, and we want to get little Israel all the way to the moon,” said Yonatan Winetraub, co-founder of Israel’s SpaceIL, a nonprofit organization behind the effort.

The moon, nearly full and glowing brightly, beckoned as it rose in the eastern sky. Within an hour after liftoff, Beresheet was already sending back data and had successfully deployed its landing legs, according to SpaceIL.

The four-legged Beresheet, barely the size of a washing machine, will circle Earth in ever bigger loops until it’s captured by lunar gravity and goes into orbit around the moon. Touchdown would be April 11 at the Sea of Serenity.

READ: China Begins First Surface Exploration Of Moon’s Far Side. Pictures Inside