India has announced that its Chandrayaan-2 mission to the moon will launch between July 9-16 this year, after earlier plans for an April lift-off were scrapped.

The mission will make the nation the fourth country to accomplish the feat after China, the US and Russia.

Israel made an attempt earlier this year but failed.

It will be India's first mission to the moon's surface and will aim to land near its south pole, a currently unexplored territory.

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India's space agency is launching its first mission to the moon's south pole in July after a three month delay to its earlier schedule. The country's first mission, Chandrayaan-1 (pictured), reached the moon in 2008 but was terminated a year early after scientists lost contact it

Rocks in this lunar region are thought to be four billion years old and could provide a precious source of nuclear energy.

All previous lunar crafts have landed near the equator and this is the first time one will landed near the south pole - a currently unexplored territory.

It is the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) second lunar probe and the first one destined to land on the moon.

It is thought that the mission was delayed in April due to damages to Vikram, the moon lander craft, including minor problems with two of its legs.

'Some structural damage was found during the test', said K. Sivan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) at the timed.

'And then it has been found that this was because the test configuration and orientation was wrong.'

The country's first mission, Chandrayaan-1, launched in 2008 and was terminated a year early after scientists lost contact with the unmanned orbiting spacecraft.

In a Twitter post, Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) said: 'We are ready for one of the most exciting missions.

'Launch window between July 9-16 & likely Moon-landing on Sept 6, 2019.'

In its latest website statement, ISRO added: 'Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar mission, has three modules namely Orbiter, Lander (Vikram) & Rover (Pragyan).

Named Chandrayaan-2, the vehicle will take three months to reach orbit and once the rover reaches the surface it will explore the area around the south pole. Pictured is a model of Chandrayaan-1

The statement describes how the Orbiter and Lander modules will be stacked together as an one entity and be placed inside the launch vehicle known as GSLV MK-III.

It added: 'The Rover is housed inside the Lander. After launch into earth bound orbit by GSLV MK-III, the integrated module will reach Moon orbit using Orbiter propulsion module.

'Subsequently, Lander will separate from the Orbiter and soft land at the predetermined site close to lunar South Pole.'

The Rover will roll out and carry out scientific experiments on the moon's surface.

'Instruments are also mounted on Lander and Orbiter for carrying out scientific experiments,' the statement concludes.

Weighing nearly 3,300kg (7,300lbs), the spacecraft will take off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, off India's southwest coast

The latest announcements from ISRO come after Israel's first attempt to land on the moon ended in failure on April 12 this year.

The Beresheet spacecraft began experiencing problems shortly after beginning its lunar descent, despite a promising start in which it sent back a selfie at just 13.6 miles (22 kilometres) from the surface.

Mission control confirmed just minutes later that it had lost contact with the lander after resetting the main engine in effort to address an issue and get it all working again.

'We were very close to the moon,' officials said during the live broadcast, but confirmed that there was 'a failure in the spacecraft.'

There have been numerous landings on the moon as a result of the 20th century space race between the US and the USSR - including the famed Apollo 11 mission which saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans on the moon

Engineers on site estimate the craft was about nine miles (15 kilometres) from the surface when it began to break apart, being unable to slow down without its main engine.

SpaceIL was hoping to complete a landing of Beresheet on the moon and make Israel the fourth country to manage the feat - behind the US, Russia and China.

While it was unable to achieve this accomplishment, the mission still makes Israel only the seventh country to ever each lunar orbit.

The lander - whose name is Hebrew for Genesis or beginning - took off almost two months ago from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

SpaceIL says it's now planning to launch another lunar mission within the next three years.

The Beresheet spacecraft began experiencing problems shortly after beginning its descent, despite a promising start in which it sent back a selfie at just 22 kilometers (13.6 miles) from the surface (shown). It failed not long after

China on the other hand successfully landed its Chang'e 4 lander and Yutu 2 Rover on the far side of the moon on January 3 this year.

The 'far side', which is the hemisphere that always faces away from Earth, had never been explored before the current mission, which is ongoing.

China Space Agency has also announced that plans for construction work on a moonbase could begin within the next decade.

The lunar base could serve not only as a platform for research but also as a refuelling station for giant leaps out into the solar system.

Additionally, the country plans to send a mission to Mars by 2020.

The announcement of China's timeline for space exploration follows its first soft landing of a spacecraft, Chang'e-4 (pictured), on the far side of the moon, back in January of this year

WHAT HAS INDIA'S SPACE AGENCY DONE TO REACH THE MOON? Chandrayaan-1 was India's first lunar orbiter, launched in 2008. The £49 million ($69 million) mission was launched amid national euphoria, putting India in the Asian space race alongside rival China and reinforcing its claim to be considered a global power. A vehicle landed on the moon a month later and sent back images of the lunar surface. In 2009 India terminated the mission a year earlier than planned, after scientists lost all contact with their unmanned orbiting spacecraft. Chandrayaan-1 (pictured) was India's first lunar orbiter, launched in 2008. The £49 million ($69 million) mission was launched amid national euphoria A crucial sensor in the main craft malfunctioned in July experts believe. The satellite is believed to have crashed into the moon's surface. 'Our efforts to establish contact have failed. The mission has been terminated,' said S Satish, from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) at the time. 'There was no point continuing with the mission.' Named Chandrayaan-2, the vehicle will take between one and two months to reach orbit and once the rover reaches the surface it will explore the area around the south pole. It is the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) second lunar probe. Weighing nearly 3,300kg (7,300lbs), the spacecraft will take off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, off India's southwest coast. It is now set for launch in January 2019. Advertisement

In February last year when ISRO announced its April 2019 moon mission liftoff, chairman K. Sivan told the Times of India: 'Chandraayan-2 is a challenging mission as for the first time we will carry an orbiter, a lander and a rover to the moon', 'The 6-wheeled rover fixed within the lander will get detached and move on the lunar surface'.

'The rover will be powered by solar energy and will charge every lunar day which is the same as 14 Earth days.

'It will carry out chemical analysis of the surface and will send data and images of the surface back to Earth.

At the time, Wu Ji, director of the National Space Science Center in Beijing, warned of potential obstacles when speaking to Science Mag: 'It is a difficult and complicated mission.

'Less sunlight reaches the poles so the solar-powered craft will have to live off less power.

Currently the plan is to land between the mountain craters of Manzinus C and Simpelius N which are around 70° south.

The area is completely unknown and experts leading the mission say it could pave the way for future lunar habitation if water is located.

A crucial sensor in the main craft of Chandrayaan-1 malfunctioned in July, experts believe. The satellite is believed to have crashed into the moon's surface

Weighing nearly 7,300lbs (3,300kg), the spacecraft will take off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, off India's southwest coast.

Chandrayaan-1 was a lunar orbiter launched in 2008.

The £49 million ($69 million) mission was launched amid national euphoria, putting India in the Asian space race alongside rival China and reinforcing its claim to be considered a global power.

A vehicle landed on the moon a month later and sent back images of the lunar surface.

But a crucial sensor in the main craft, orbiting the moon, malfunctioned in July 2009, curtailing the two-year mission.

The satellite is believed to have crashed into the moon's surface.