India's mission - Chandrayaan means "moon vehicle" in Hindi and Sanskrit - is its second attempt to land there.
"Landing on the south pole (of the moon) would actually allow India to explore if there is water ice on the moon.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will watch the landing from South Africa, where he is attending the ongoing BRICS summit, media reported.
Rough terrain makes a south pole landing difficult, and a first landing would be historic.
For India, a successful moon landing would mark its emergence as a space power as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government looks to spur investment in private space launches and related satellite-based businesses.
Persons:
Russia's Luna, ISRO's, Carla Filotico, Adnan Abidi, Narendra Modi, Narendra Modi's, Shilpa Jamkhandikar, Gerry Doyle
Organizations:
Indian Space Research, SpaceTec Partners, REUTERS, Thomson
Locations:
MUMBAI, India, Russian, New Delhi, South Africa