India's space agency has launched a rocket in an attempt to land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon after a failed mission four years ago.

The Indian Space Research Organization says Chandrayaan-3 took off from a launch pad in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Friday, local time.

The probe will orbit Earth before heading for the moon. It will attempt to land on the lunar surface around August 23.

A successful landing would make India the fourth country to achieve the feat after the former Soviet Union, the United States and China.

In 2019, Chandrayaan-2 entered orbit around the moon, but crashed into the lunar surface because of a software glitch.

A number of countries and private firms are in a race to deploy a rover on the moon. The US and China are planning to land crewed spacecraft on the lunar surface.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced plans to send astronauts to the moon and build a space station.