Iran managed to put its newest bio-space capsule into orbit using an indigenous launcher today as it prepares for human missions in the coming years.

According to The Iran Project,The 500-kilogram (1,000-pound) capsule was launched 130 kilometers (80 miles) from Earth's surface.

The capsule is developed by Iran’s Aerospace Research Institute, affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology.

The launch is a step to send humans into space in line with the government’s plan to revive various sectors of the space industry and consolidate bio-space knowledge.

It was a test for space technologies in the areas of launch, recovery, and speed control systems, as well as impact shields, capsule aerodynamic design, and the systems related to control and monitoring of biological conditions.

The capsule launcher, named Salman, is the first version of the launcher that is capable of launching biological capsules weighing half a ton.

It has many advanced features in propulsion, aerodynamics, and control fields.

Salman launcher is manufactured by the Aerospace Industries Organization of the Iranian Ministry of Defense and is completely indigenous, Fars News Agency reported.

Suborbital tests of the new generation of bio-capsules will be soon conducted in the country, bringing Iran closer to achieving its goal which is living in space, Fars quoted Issa Zarepour, the Minister of Information and Communication Technology, as saying.

Zarepour went on to say that this capsule is about half a ton and has the ability to carry a human being. Currently, its suborbital tests are underway.

In the suborbital tests, navigation systems, landing parachutes, and heat shields, as new technologies, are going to be tested for the first time; in the next step, first, a living being will be sent into space, and then a human being.

It is worth noting that some 5 to 6 years are ahead to reach a point where we can send humans into space. That's mainly due to a ten-year cessation after the first living creature, a monkey, was sent to space and returned successfully in 2010, Zarepour explained.

Iran has managed to take giant strides in its civilian space program, in spite of sanctions imposed by Western countries in recent years.

Iran sent its first bio-capsule containing living creatures into space in February 2010, using a Kavoshgar (Explorer) carrier.

Space industry on right track

On December 1, Zarepour stated that the country’s space industry is on a progressive track.

The minister added that the 10-year document for the development of the country's space industry was approved last year by the Raisi administration.

Zarepour reiterated that after an 11-year hiatus, meetings of the Supreme Council of Cyber Space were held under the chairmanship of President Raisi.   

He hailed the announcement of the document, saying it was one of the effective measures that took place during the Raisi administration.

“In the document, the path for the development of the space industry is portrayed in one-year, two-year, and three-year periods in fields such as satellite construction, infrastructure, ground station, and satellite launch,” Zarepour said.      

Regarding the implementation of the document, he stated that it is being carried out step by step in various sections of the Ministry of Information and Communication.

In the field of stabilizing launchers and building satellites, he said “good things” have happened.

He also said, “We will witness several events by the end of the year.”

Earlier, he had announced that “by the end of this year, Iran will launch five satellites,” adding that two of the satellites will be launched by the IRGC, two by the Ministry of Defense, and one from abroad.

Elsewhere, he noted that all activities in the field of space are coordinated by the Supreme Space Council, whose secretariat is under the supervision of the Iranian Space Agency.

In the end, the minister pointed out that with “Empathy, coordination and cooperation” of all bodies, the Islamic Republic of Iran will reach its rightful status.