Head of Iran's Space System Research Center Mohammad Ebrahimi underscored the countries' rapid growth in aerospace industries, and said that Iran plans to launch an explorer which can carry astronomers to suborbital altitude in four years.

"If we can send 2-ton satellites to geo-orbit by next 12 years, we can be able to send 2-ton aerospace into space carrying astronomer as well," Ebrahimi said.

The official added that Iran will be able to produce appropriate capsule with high safety and large dimensions equipped with emergency escape system to send astronomer into space to suborbital flight in next 3-4 years.

Earlier this month, Iran announced that it has sent the second monkey into the space on the back of an explorer rocket, and that it has brought back and recovered the living cargo.

The second monkey named 'Fargam' which was sent into the space on the back of an Iran-made explorer returned to the Earth safely.

The Iranian explorer was launched into the space using liquid fuel for the first time.

On January 28, the Defense Ministry's Aerospace Industries Organization announced that it has sent a monkey into the space on the back of Pishgam (Pioneer) explorer rocket and recovered it.

The Aerospace Industries Organization said it had sent the living creature into space aboard an indigenous biocapsule as a prelude to sending humans into space.

The Aerospace Industries Organization said the capsule was sent to an orbit beyond 120km in altitude and carried out telemetry of the environmental data records.

The explorer rocket was launched by the Aerospace Industries Organization and it returned to the Earth after reaching the desired speed and altitude, and the living creature (monkey) was retrieved and found alive.

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had announced in 2010 that Iran plans to send astronauts into space in 2024. But, later he said that the issue had gone under a second study at a cabinet meeting and that the cabinet had decided to implement the plan in 2019, five years earlier than the date envisaged in the original plan.

Iran launched its first research rocket on Feb. 4, 2009, when it also announced activity of its first space center and its first indigenous satellite - called Omid, or Hope.

Source: Iranian News Service