We have lift off!

At exactly 8:45 p.m. EST a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off the Florida coast at Cape Canaveral carrying the SpaceIL Lunar Lander, named "Beresheet." The night launch was easily seen from Altamonte Springs as it rose into the atmosphere. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu watched the lift off with his wife, Sarah, South African philanthropist Morris Kahn and a host of others at the Yehud Command Center.

At 9:25 p.m. EST, Beresheet separated from the Falcon 9 rocket, deployed its landing legs and headed for the moon under its own power. It will take the spacecraft seven weeks to reach the moon. Landing date is set for April 11.