14 DAY TRIAL // After their recent Kavoshgar-2 rocket mission proved to be a success, as reported by the state media, the Iranian space experts plan for the following similar missions, Kavoshgar-3 and Kavoshgar-4, to carry animals into space prior to switching to manned missions. What kind of animals they are thinking about has not been disclosed yet, but it is known that these will test the conditions provided by the spacecraft for the future human crews, according to Mohammed Ebrahimi, the second person in command at the Aerospace Research Institute in Iran.
It's not even been two weeks since Iran launched their second rocket, the Kavoshgar-2, on November 26, a carrier which transported a laboratory, a restoration system, and a device that monitored and processed data, stated the national television channel. Two more launches and flights are scheduled before attempting to send a bigger rocket, dubbed Safir-e Omid (translated as "Ambassador of Peace") that is supposed to carry a fully-functional satellite into the orbit.
The Iranian state TV also reported that "Kavosh 2 completed its mission and returned to Earth with a special parachute after 40 minutes," as quoted by BBC, adding that the craft had been designed and developed by the country's aerospace specialists. It is known, though, that the large majority of the Iranian technological equipment comes from altered technology from the North Koreans and the Chinese.
The space ambitions of Iran are not treated lightly by other countries, especially by the U.S., since their constant promises that their space efforts hide absolutely no military intentions are hard to believe by the worldwide political stage. August's launch of a dummy satellite and November's test-firing of a novel medium-range missile with a 2,000 km (1,240 mile) range that could reach Western Europe were strongly disapproved. The same is valid for the nation's nuclear operations, claimed to be purely civilian and energy-oriented.