Russia launches first space mission to Moon in 47 years

Russia launched its first mission to the surface of the Moon in nearly half a century, in a bid to be the first country to land on the lunar south pole.

Moscow's Luna 25 mission lifted off on schedule from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East.

The Moon's south pole is believed to hold deposits of water.

The Russian mission is racing against India, which sent up its own lander last month that is already orbiting the Moon.

The landing of Luna-25, the first moon mission in the history of modern Russia, is expected to touch the lunar surface on August 21, Roscosmos Director General Yury Borisov said on Friday.

The official described the mission’s launch as a success.

"We are now waiting for [August] 21. I hope that the highly accurate landing on the Moon will be successful," he said, congratulating the ground crew that conducted the launch.

In his words, the spacecraft is to reach the Moon’s orbit on August 16.

Overall, the mission is expected to take about one year.