Another Monkey Launched into Space: Iran Claims

Iran has successfully sent a second monkey to space and brought it back to earth, an Iranian news agency said Saturday.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani reportedly called the mission "Fargam" or Auspicious, noting that this is the first time that a carrier using liquid fuel put a monkey in space.

"In total, this is the 2nd monkey sent into space & returned in perfect health to #Iran. I congratulate the Leader, scientists & the nation," Rouhani posted on twitter.

The country hasn't given any other details about the mission.          

Monkeys in Space

In January this year, Iran had claimed that it had sent a monkey to space. However, the authenticity of the experiment was questioned after scientists presented a different monkey after the landing.

At that time, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland had told reporters the agency couldn't confirm or deny the reports. "But our concerns with Iran's development of space launch vehicle technologies are obviously well-known: Any space launch vehicle capable of placing an object in orbit is directly relevant to the development of long-range ballistic missiles," she told reporters, according to CNN.

Then, in October, the country announced that it would send a second monkey into space "within a month". No official date had been given at that time.

Iran put its first indigenous data-processing satellite, Omid (Hope) into Earth's orbit in 2009. Its second satellite Rassad (Observation) was launched in 2011.

According to the Tasnim News Agency, Iran has sent a "rat, turtle and worms into space."

The Islamic Republic has said that it plans to send an astronaut in space by 2020.