Iran reportedly to send another monkey into space

Jan. 28, 2012: Iran said it has successfully sent a monkey into space, describing the launch as another step toward Tehran's goal of a manned space flight. (IRNA)

TEHRAN, Iran – An Iranian newspaper is reporting that the Islamic Republic plans to send another monkey into space within a month.

A report Sunday in the conservative daily Jomhuri Eslami quotes the deputy head of Iran's space agency, Hamid Fazeli, as saying the planned launch is part of the country's plans to send a human to space in 2018. Earlier this year, Iran claimed it launched a monkey out of the Earth's atmosphere and successfully had it return.

Fazeli was quoted in Sunday's article as saying animals with a similar weight as monkeys are under consideration as future space test subjects. In September, Iran suggested it may start launching Persian cats into space.