India is hoping to make history on Wednesday by becoming the first nation to land near the Moon's south pole.

If Chandrayaan-3 is successful, India will be the fourth country to have achieved a soft landing on the Moon.

India's attempt comes just days after Russia's Luna-25 crashed while trying to touch down in the same region.

Scientist have sugested that the south pole of the Moon holds special promise in the search for water ice, stressing that it means there is a possibility of water in these areas.

Acces24 reports that the United States, the former Soviet Union and China have all achieved a soft landing near the Moon's equator - but none have led successful missions to its south pole.

India's attempt to land its Chandrayaan-2 mission near the south pole in 2019 was unsuccessful, but it crashed into the lunar surface, as all eyes are on Chandrayaan-3, which would be on its third mission to the explored Moon.

The lander, Vikram  would attempt touchdown at 18:04 local time (12:34GMT) on Wednesday, as scientists said the most crucial time is when the lander attempts to make touchdown on an area that was described as "very uneven, full of craters and boulders", with some predicting it will be "15 minutes of terror."