Science/Tech

Iran To Send Another Monkey Into Space: Report

By Kamal Nayan | Update Date: Oct 14, 2013 09:47 AM EDT

Iran is all set to send another monkey into the space, an Iranian newspaper reported.

The conservative daily Jomhuri Eslami quoted deputy head of Iran's space agency, Hamid Fazeli as saying the second monkey will be blasted into space "on board a liquid-fuel carrier" by the end of next month.

However this is not the first time Iran is sending other species into the space during the next stages of the project. Earlier in September, Iran said it plans to send a Persian cat, a long haired and flat-breed into the space.

Other animals such as mouse and rabbit are also being considered for future projects. On being asked about preferring monkey for previous projects Mr. Fazeli said monkey was a "a prelude to sending humans on space missions, " reported IB Times.

In October, Mr Fazeli also announced that Iran will hurtle into space three locally designed satellites before the current Iranian calender ended on March 20, 2014.

Iran also plans to send humans but its not clear when.

"This is a big step for our experts and scientists," Ahmad Vahidi, Iranian Defense Minister, had said according to IB Times. . The rocket that carried the first monkey went 120 km into orbit.

Though it seemed like not everyone is at ease on sending live species into the outer space.

"Our concern with Iran's development of space-launch vehicle technologies are obviously well known," Victoria Nuland, U.S. State Department spokeswoman, earlier said according to IB Times. "Any space-launch vehicle capable of placing an object in orbit is directly relevant to the development of long-range ballistic missiles."

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