Why are space agencies racing to the moon's south pole?

India's space agency is attempting to land a spacecraft on the moon's south pole, a mission that could advance India's space ambitions and expand knowledge of lunar water ice, potentially one of the moon's most valuable resources. In the same year, another NASA probe that hit the south pole found water ice below the moon's surface. Photo: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas/File PhotoWhat makes the South Pole especially tricky? Russia's Luna-25 craft had been scheduled to land on the south pole this week but spun out of control on approach and crashed on Sunday. Both the United States and China have planned missions to the south pole.