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A spacecraft from Israel is one step closer to making history by landing on the Moon.

It's the country's first lunar mission and is expected to touchdown next week.

The Beresheet craft, which doesn't have anyone on board, has just completed a move known as a "lunar capture".

This means it's been brought into an elliptical (egg-shaped) orbit so it's within 500 kilometres (310 miles) of the Moon.

Those behind the project have said: "This manoeuvre enabled the spacecraft to be captured by the Moon's gravity and begin orbiting the Moon - and with the Moon, orbiting the Earth".

The mission could make history by being the first privately financed Moon landing.

Only China, Russia and the United States have landed on the Moon so far.

Space IL chairman Morris Kahn said: "The lunar capture is an historic event in and of itself - but it also joins Israel in a seven-nation club that has entered the Moon's orbit."

"A week from today we'll make more history by landing on the Moon, joining three super powers who have done so."

Beresheet was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on 22 February. The craft took off on top of a Flacon 9 rocket from Elon Musk's private US-based SpaceX company.

Its trip is scheduled to last seven weeks which means it should land on the Moon on 11 April.

It has a scientific instrument on board to measure the lunar magnetic field which should help with understanding the Moon's formation.

There's also a 'time capsule' on it which is loaded with digital files containing kids' drawings, an Israeli flag and songs as well as memories of a Holocaust survivor and a Bible.