"Recently we have sent living organisms into space. According to the Iranian Space Agency's program first astronaut should have been sent into space in 2024, but the state prematurely was able to implement some programs, and Iran's first astronaut will fly to space in 2017," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on an air of the Hamadan Province's television, Iranian President's official news website president.ir. reports.
He said a satellite will be launched into the circumterrestrial orbit in the near future, which will operate within a year.
"The Space Agency has submitted to the Government a program to launch into orbit a satellite, providing communication and television services. In the near future this program will be implemented," Ahmadinejad said.
In February 2010, Iran sent into space the rat, turtles and worms sent by Kavoshgar 3.