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Pishgam

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Pishgam (Persian: پیشگام, "pioneer") is an Iranian 300-kilogramme[1] space capsule and associated rocket (کاوشگر پیشگام Kavoshgar-Pishgam "Explorer-Pioneer"), which launched containing rhesus monkey and is part of a series of Iranian rocket launches containing biological cargo intended as precursors to human spaceflight.

Kavoshgar programme

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The sounding rocket plus return capsule combination are capable of undertaking a twenty-minute flight and reach a height of 120 km.[2] This is a sub-orbital flight not similar to the Safir rocket which launched Omid, a domestically-built data-processing satellite into low Earth orbit.[3]

The objective is to prepare for crewed space flight after 2020,[2] by sending monkeys into space. The Iranian Space Agency said before the first launch that they had five adolescent rhesus monkeys from South East Asia. The monkey's health is checked before launch and the launch is intended to demonstrate that the life support systems work and that the monkey will land in good health.[3]

Kavoshgar-3

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On February 3, 2010, ISA launched a Kavoshgar-3 (Explorer-3) rocket with one rodent, two turtles, and several worms into sub-orbital space and returned them to Earth alive.[4][5][6][7] The rocket was enabled to transfer electronic data and live footage back to Earth. The Aerospace Research Institute (ARI) showed live video transmission of mini-environmental lab to enable further studies on the biological capsule.[8] This was the first biological payload launched by Iran.[9]

Kavoshgar-4

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On March 15, 2011, the ISA launched the Kavoshgar-4 (Explorer-4) rocket carrying a test capsule designed to carry a monkey but without living creatures on board. The sub-orbital flight reached an apogee of 135 kilometres (84 mi) and landed 130 kilometres (81 mi) from the launch site. It contained the equipment to house the monkey, without an actual monkey.

Kavoshgar-5

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Kavoshgar-5 (Explorer-5), carrying a live monkey, was launched for a 20-minute sub-orbital flight in September 2011,[10] however the mission failed. The capsule contained a rhesus monkey.[11] On October 3, Iran indefinitely postponed further plans while scientists reviewed readiness for future missions.[12]

Kavoshgar-6

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In May 2012, Iran announced that it would send more living creatures into space by the summer.[13]

On 1 August 2012 Hamid Fazeli from the Iranian Space Agency announced that the monkey would be launched after Ramadan, which ended on 19 August 2012.[6][7][14][15][16] There were no subsequent announcements until December 2012 when it was said that the launch would be soon.[17][18]

On 28 January 2013 Iran claimed that they had launched a monkey, Fargam, into space.[19] ISNA officials then did not comment on the flight until 31 January, when ISNA published a video of the Pishgam Launch, with an internal camera.[20] However, it was noted that the monkey shown in the video had a prominent mole over its left eye, which the monkey in the initial announcement did not. Investigations revealed that for some reason ISNA showed legitimate footage of the rocket's exterior, but recycled footage from the failed 2011 launch where the monkey died. This is particularly unusual as Iran has denied the failed 2011 launch even happened and have denied any monkey either dying or being launched earlier. ISNA spokesmen Mohammad Ebrahimi stated on 4 February that the team assembling the media for the video simply mixed up the footage of a backup monkey and the prime monkey.[21]

Kavoshgar-7

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ISNA announced on 10 December, 2013, that they would be launching a Kavoshgar-7 mission from Imam Khomeini Space Centre some time in the next week.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Iran's Sounding Rockets "Kavoshgar-5"". Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  2. ^ a b "Iran fails with space monkey launch". Daily Telegraph. 12 October 2011. Archived from the original on 13 October 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Iran to launch Kavoshgar-5 carrying living creature in Mordad/July 22-August 22". Iranian Space Agency. 28 June 2011. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  4. ^ "Space Events - 2011". Zarya.info. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  5. ^ "Iran failed with space monkey launch: Report". Zee News. 12 November 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Iran to Send More Living Creatures into Space Soon". Fars News Agency. 1 August 2012. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  7. ^ a b Nicola Guttridge (3 August 2012). "Iran Space Agency to launch a monkey into space". New Scientist. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  8. ^ "Iran Fires Satellite Carrier Into Space". www.payvand.com. 2010-02-02. Archived from the original on 2010-02-08. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
  9. ^ "Animals are fired into space in Iranian rocket". Metro.co.uk. February 4, 2010.
  10. ^ Jonathan McDowell. "Kavoshgar". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  11. ^ "Report: Iran Attempt to Launch Monkey Into Space Fails". Space.com. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  12. ^ "Iran's monkey does not make it to space". The Express Tribune. AFP. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  13. ^ "Iran to Send Living Creatures into Space by Mid Summer". Archived from the original on 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
  14. ^ "'Iran to launch "kavoshgar-5" satellite carrier into space in near future'". Iran English Radio. 1 August 2012. Archived from the original on 19 September 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  15. ^ "Iran to send monkey into space after month of Ramadan". Tehran Times. 1 August 2012. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  16. ^ "Muslim calendar for 2012". BBC. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  17. ^ "Iran sends living creature into space". Iran Project. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  18. ^ "Go For Launch!". Zarya.info. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  19. ^ "Iran says monkey sent to space". Al Jazeera. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  20. ^ "Full video of Pishgam launch to return". Iran Project. 31 January 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  21. ^ Williams, Rob. "The mystery of the Iran space monkey is solved - the pictures showed the wrong animal, say Iranian officials". The Independent. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  22. ^ Niayesh, Umid. "Iran to launch Kavoshgar-7 carrier into space". Trend News Agency. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
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