Iran says it has put a capsule with animals into orbit to prepare for human missions

2023-12-06 08:36:02

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran said Wednesday it had launched an animal capsule into orbit, in preparation for human-manned missions in the coming years.

The capsule was launched into an orbit 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the surface, Telecommunications Minister Isa Zarepour said in statements cited by the official IRNA news agency.

The launch of the 500-kilogram (1,000-pound) capsule was intended to pave the way for sending Iranian astronauts into space in the coming years, Zarepour said. The minister did not specify which animals were in the capsule.

Iran occasionally announces successful launches of satellites and other spacecraft. Iran said in September it had sent a satellite into space to collect data, while in 2013 it said it had sent a monkey into space that returned successfully.

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