Iran aims to test astronaut-ready space capsules by March

London, 6 December 2023.- Iran is aiming to launch astronauts into space using domestically developed technology by the end of 2029 Eisa Zarepour, Communication Minister stated in a post on the Iran Virasty social media site on Sunday. The launch of the capsule intends to align with the plan to send Iranian astronauts to space in 1407 in the Iranian Calendar (equivalent to 2028-2029 in the Gregorian calendar) which was designed and built by Iranian experts. 

“In line with the implementation of the ten-year document of the country’s space industry, the ‘Life in Space’ program has been revived and soon, God willing, the suborbital tests of the new generation ‘bio-capsule’ will be completely Iranian,” he said.

Zarepour has previously stated that Iran would carry out tests on a bio-capsule designed to send astronauts into space. He hopes that within five years, the country would be able to send an Iranian astronaut. 

Hossein Salariyeh, the head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) said last October that Iran would launch a bio-capsule into space by the end of the Iranian calendar year in March 2024, alongside a series of satellites. The bio-capsules would not carry any living organisms, but would be set up to optimise the conditions of the capsule, including blocking radiation, optimising temperature, and ensuring a smooth landing and take-off.