India hopes to be first nation to land on south pole of moon later this week

Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Days after Russia failed to put a lander on the moon, the Indian Space Research Organization will try to become the first country to land on the moon's south pole on Wednesday.

On Monday, the space agency said its Chandrayaan-3 lander, the Vikram, had been mapping potential landing spots as it orbits the moon. Scientists believe frozen water may be hidden on the south pole, along with other precious elements.

If successful, India would become only the third country to make a successful soft landing on the moon, behind the United States, the former Soviet Union and China.

India released photos on Monday that its spacecraft took in areas where it is considering landing. Officials said everything is a go to make a landing attempt on Wednesday.

The images released by the Indian space agency revealed the craters on the moon's surface, which will help it avoid potential hazards such as boulders or the edge of craters. Highlighting the danger of such a landing, Japan, Israel and the United Arab Emirates had all failed to safely land on the Moon before Russia's mishap.

Russia acknowledged that it's lander crashed into the moon when it unexpectedly spun out of control on Saturday.

India plans to deploy a rover on the moon's surface to conduct a series of tests over the next two weeks to help determine if the moon does contain frozen water, which could be used for fuel, oxygen and drinking water needed to sustain human life.