India's adorable, dog-sized moon rover is set to roll out any minute and collect the first samples of the lunar south pole ever

• India's moon rover could roll out any minute to collect the first-ever samples of the lunar south pole.
• The 57-pound rover is called Pragyaan — a Hindu name meaning one who possesses wisdom.
• This moon landing is "a huge achievement for the whole nation," a space-exploration expert told Insider.

India just made history by becoming the first country to land successfully on the lunar south pole. And it's wasting no time.

Within hours of the uncrewed Vikram lander's successful moon landing, a tiny rover inside the lander is getting ready to roll out onto the dusty grey surface of the moon.

It's set to collect the first samples ever of the lunar south pole. 

The adorable rover is called Pragyaan — a Hindu name meaning one who possesses greater knowledge and wisdom.

Pragyaan weighs 57 pounds, about the size of a small German shepherd or bull terrier, and it's poised to spend the next two weeks driving where no robot or human has been before.

S. Somanath, the director of the Indian Space Research Organization, told reporters outside mission control that the rover could roll out in a few hours or tomorrow, according to the New York Times.

Pragyaan's science could be critical for learning how to mine moon water — a goal every moon-minded nation is eyeing.

The rover may be small and cute, but India's new moon mission "definitely puts them on the international stage as an emerging space power," Robert Braun, head of Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory's (APL) Space Exploration Sector, told Insider.

What will India's moon rover do next?

It's equipped with a laser and an alpha-particle beam to help it study the composition of the lunar south pole, which is of particular interest.

The lunar south pole is thought to be the most water-rich region on the moon. That's critical since water ice could be mined to produce breathable oxygen for future crewed lunar bases, as well as hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel that could propel future missions to Mars and beyond.

The rover will also use its RAMBHA and ILSA payloads on board to study the lunar atmosphere as well as dig up samples for additional analysis of the surface's composition, per Times of India.

Moreover, its laser beams will attempt to melt a sample to study the gases emitted for more insight into the lunar south pole's chemical makeup, per Times of India.

A moment for the history books

India is the fourth country — after Russia, the US, and China — to land on the moon.

"It's a huge achievement for the whole nation," Braun said. "Last time they got to the playoffs, if you will, and this time they won the Super Bowl."

"Everyone in the space community is joining with the nation of India, and their talented engineers and scientists, and celebrating their success and this achievement," he added.