Russia and India are competing to be the first to reach the moon's surface, with both spacecraft expected to arrive on the same day, August 23rd.

Both Russia and India aim to reach the moon's south pole, an area that all previous human missions have failed to access.

The missions aim to explore the area in search of water ice and other materials, according to the British newspaper "Daily Mail."

Russia launched the "Luna 25" mission on Friday, carrying a lander, marking the first Russian mission to explore the moon in nearly 50 years.

The mission was launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in far eastern Russia, and is the first Russian mission since 1976, which saw a similar mission during the era of the former Soviet Union.

Russia and India are competing with other countries in the moon race, including the United States and China, both of which have advanced programs for lunar exploration, especially of the south pole.

The Russian mission is also expected to reach the moon's surface on August 23rd, the same day that the Indian spacecraft, which launched on July 14th, is expected to arrive.

The Russian spacecraft will orbit the moon for 5.5 days before spending between 3 to 7 days in a 100-kilometer orbit around the moon before landing on its surface.

The Indian mission will conduct operations for two weeks, noting that it cost New Delhi 75 million dollars, signaling that the world's most populous country is open to the rapidly accelerating global race in space business.