Russia has launched its first lunar probe in nearly half a century, with the aim of becoming the first country to make a landing on the Moon's south pole.

Russia's space agency Roscosmos said the Luna-25 lifted off on Friday from the Vostochny cosmodrome in the Far East. It said the unmanned spacecraft entered its scheduled flight path.

The previous Russian probe, Luna-24, was launched in 1976 during the Soviet era.

The Luna-25 is expected to attempt a soft landing near the Moon's south pole on August 21. It will then spend about a year exploring deposits of water and other resources.

The probe was due to carry a navigation camera in cooperation with the European Space Agency, but the plan was called off in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

India is also set to attempt a lunar landing in late August with its Chandrayaan-3 probe, which was launched last month. Competition is heating up, with the United States, China and others also racing to explore the Moon.

Russia is reportedly planning to send another spacecraft to the lunar surface in around 2027, with an eye on a manned landing in the future.