The spacecraft had a number of technical problems during its final descent to the lunar surface.

After travelling over 5.5 million kilometres around the Earth, the spacecraft swung into the moon’s elliptical orbit and is on track for touchdown April 11.

A communications satellite for Indonesia is the main cargo aboard the Falcon rocket, scheduled to blast off Thursday night. But Israel's privately funded lunar lander - a first not just for Israel but commercial space - is generating the buzz.