Iran launched its first capsule for living organisms into space on March 15, IRNA reports.
The capsule was carried by Kavoshgar-4 rockets, developed for transporting monkeys. This time a capsule with dummies was launched to test the separate components and equipment of the spacecraft. The capsule took shots of the earth's surface at an altitude of 120 km. No malfunctioning was registered.
The Kavoshar-1 rocket was launched in February 2008 to collect research data and carry a satellite.
Kavoshar-2 was launched in November 2008. It returned to Earth within 40 minutes. The spacecraft measured atmospheric pressure and wind speed at various altitudes.
The Kavoshar-3, with a capsule for living organisms, was launched on February 3, 2010. It took 2 years to complete the project.
Iran demonstrated the Tolu and Mesbakh-2 satellites, a student satellite - Mehdi - and a carrier rocket, Simorg, in early February 2010.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in August 2010 that the first Iranian astronaut will fly into space in 2017.
