Screengrab. Via X.
On December 6, Iran said that it had launched a capsule into orbit carrying animals as it prepares for human space missions in coming years.
The official IRNA news agency quoted Telecommunications Minister Isa Zarepour as saying that the capsule was launched 130 kilometers into orbit. The minister added that the launch of the capsule is aimed at sending Iranian astronauts to space in coming years. He did not say what kind of animals were in the capsule.
Commissioned by the Iranian Space Agency and developed by the Aerospace Research Institute of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, the 500-kilogram capsule underwent extensive testing for manned space mission technologies.
The tests included the propulsion, recovery, speed control, impact mitigation systems, capsule aerodynamics, parachute mechanisms as well as control and monitoring systems for environmental conditions.
The capsule was sent to orbit with the Salman launch vehicle, a solid-propellant rocket motor designed and built by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran occasionally announces successful launches of satellites and other space crafts. In September, Iran said it sent a data-collecting satellite into space. The United States military says the same long-range ballistic technology used to put crafts into orbit could also allow Tehran to launch longer-range weapons.
