Iran Claims Monkey Launched to Space

A photograph broadcast on Iranian TV as the monkey they reported launching into space (Credits: Press TV).

On January 28, Iranian state television reported launching a monkey to 120 km and recovering it alive. No independent observer has been able to confirm this report.

The launch , which may have taken place sometime within the few days preceding January 28, was timed to celebrate the birthday of the prophet Mohammad. Iran has previously tried and failed to launch a monkey into space, but has reported successfully sending up a mouse, a turtle, and worms.

The monkey was strapped down in the Pishgam (Pioneer) capsule and launched aboard a Kavoshgar rocket. Iran’s news agency indicated that the choice of a monkey was made as a prelude to a manned spaceflight they claim to be preparing within the next five to eight years.

Iran achieved orbital capability in 2009. Although the country has not yet completed development of its nuclear weapons program, the western world finds enhanced Iranian ballistic capabilities disturbing. As with the similarly sanctioned North Korea, there are fears that completion of Iran’s advanced nuclear development combined with rocketry capability could pave the way for deployment of nuclear warheads.

Although monkeys tend to be considered natural test subjects as a species closely relation to humans, this role is not a given. The Soviet Union chose to use dogs for its spaceflight test program. The first animal to fly in space was a stray Soviet dog named Laika. Laika flew aboard Sputnik 2 in 1957. The spacecraft was not designed for a return flight and Laika died in orbit of overheating within just a few hours of reaching orbit.

Below, watch the Iranian broadcast of the monkey launch: