CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on Thursday evening, lighting up the night sky.
The rocket blasted off at 8:45 p.m.
The rocket launched Nusantara Satu, a communication satellite for Indonesia, as well as a commercial moon lander and small satellites.
The rocket carried an Israeli spacecraft into orbit, marking the first time Israel and a privately funded spacecraft will land on the moon.
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"Beresheet," which is Hebrew for "genesis," is about the size of a kitchen table and weighs about 350 pounds with fuel.
Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL said it has been working on the lunar lander since 2011.
It will take about two months for the spacecraft to arrive at the moon.
After it lands and sends a picture back to Earth, it will deploy a handful of science experiments.
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex held a viewing party for the launch with commentary from experts and access to some of the visitor complex’s exhibits and attractions.
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