Iran has launched a rocket into space carrying a test capsule designed to house an animal, the official IRNA news agency said on Thursday, amid Western concerns over Tehran's scientific advances.
The Kavoshgar-4 rocket was launched without fanfare on March 15, the report said, citing the President's office.
The capsule, unveiled by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on February 07, is designed to carry a monkey but there were no living creatures on board, IRNA added.
"This important scientific experiment was carried out on Esfand 24 (March 15) by the Iranian Space Agency," IRNA said.
Iran had announced it would conduct the launch before the end of Iranian year on March 21.
The space agency managed to "test the system performance... the launch platform, engine, electronic and telemetry systems and the system of separation" between the rocket and its load, according to IRNA.