A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has ferried Israel’s first lunar lander outside our atmosphere, setting it free to make its way to its ultimate destination: the moon. If it reaches its target successfully, Israel would be joining the U.S., China and the former Soviet Union in the list of nations to have sent a lander to our planet’s trusty companion. Unlike the three other countries in that list, Israel’s robotic spacecraft named “Beresheet” was created by a non-profit group called SpaceIL. It’s the first private moon lander and was previously a finalist for Google’s Lunar XPrize.
Musk and Shotwell acknowledged that the broad restructuring at SpaceX meant the company would have to lay off some employees with whom they’d rather not part ways. The company still employs about 6,400 people, according to two people who were laid off.