Iran has claimed — and it is likely, though not verified at this stage — to have launched and recovered a live monkey, using a Kavoshgar launch vehicle and a Pishgam capsule.
The country attempted a virtually identical launch in October, 2011, which failed. Little has come out about that launch either, including the root cause of the failure, but Iran has successfully put live animals into space before — in 2009 the nation launched a mouse, a worm and two turtles, which were recovered successfully.
This programme is a run-up to human spaceflight, though why Iran places such priority on the issue is a bit mystifying. The country has a relatively advanced technology industry and some highly capable scientists.
Unlike the North Korean space programme, with which Iran is rumoured to cooperate, the Iranians appear actually set on putting people into space. Putting an uncrewed satellite into space can be a result of duel-use technologies — a serious rocket is very similar to a serious ballistic missile. But the effort needed to safely launch and recover living beings requires a great deal of effort that simply has no military use.
Therefore, despite the oddity of even having such a programme when the nation has such significant unrelated issues, Iran is due some significant kudos for their achievement. Congratulations, Iran.
