India's space agency says its moon rover has confirmed the presence of sulfur on the lunar surface. This comes just a week after its unmanned spacecraft made a historic landing on the moon's south pole, where none had gone before.

The Indian Space Research Organisation announced that the rover's laser instrument had confirmed the presence of sulfur. Other elements detected include oxygen, iron, calcium and aluminum.

The agency said the rover made measurements in place on the composition of the surface near the pole.

The craft, called the Chandrayaan-3, touched down on Wednesday last week. The rover was sent out to explore a challenging spot with uneven terrain. Scientists believe the area could contain water in the form of ice.

India has made other moves to expand its presence in space. It has announced it will launch its first solar observation satellite this Saturday.