The Case Of The French Fifth Republic
First edited 21 December 2019; Updated 21 December 2019
Table of Contents
1. The Grande Nation's Will To Become The Third Manned Spacefaring Nation
1.1. 1949-1954: Sounding rocket milestone
1.2. 1961-1965: Orbital space launcher milestone
1.3. 1961-1967: Animal suborbital flight milestone
1.4. 1961-1966: Re-entry Vehicle milestone
1.5. 1961-1992: Orbital spacecraft programs
1.6. 1998: First suborbital unmanned space capsule
1.7. 1982: First French manned orbital flight milestone
1.8. 1988: First French EVA milestone
1.9. The end of the space race with China
2. Implication for Iran
1. The Grande Nation's Will To Become The Third Manned Spacefaring Nation
The still very little known manned space race for the third place, that started after WWII and ended in 2003, has opposed France and China, in a great powers' competition spanning over four decades.
The following paper is seamingly the first ever detailed analysis published and made public on the internet.
1949-1954: Sounding rocket milestone
France's space program was started in 1949 with the suborbital Veronique rocket under the military's Land Army and the chemist Henri Moureu.
Its aim was to study the high altitude atmosphere called 'aerial ocean' (l’océan aérien).
It was based on captured German Aggregat-8 rocket technology. More than a hundred of German specialists would work mainly at Vernon near Paris, for the ballistic aeronautic research laboratory.
Karl Heinz Bringer, who had worked previously at Peenemünde in the Dornberger team conceived the propulsion system of the Veronique rocket.
Wolfgang Pilz, another German technician, developed the guidance system of the rocket, before leaving for Egypt to work for Nasser's nascent space program.
Véronique R 8 is launched for the firts time on 2nd August 1950 and for another 7 times until 30th January 1952, reaching a 2 km altitude, with a thrust of 40 kN and a mass of 1000 kg.
The first scientific flight was performed by Véronique NA-12 on 29th Octobre 1954 reaching 104 km altitude.
Thus allowing France to become the world's third power with sounding rocket capability, after the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. (fourth, if including the now defunct German Third Reich).
Meanwhile, the People's Republic of China would only launch its first sounding rocket 'DongFang-1' (东方-1号: East One) on 8th September 1958. Produced by Beijing Institute of Technology (北京理工大学), the two-type solid propellant motor would develop a lift-off thrust of 1.7 ton-force. With a mass of 61 kg, including a payload of 13 kg made of electronic sensors.
http://web.archive.org/web/20140728072013/http://www.bit.edu.cn/xww/xsjl1/103729.htm
http://archive.ph/fh3Nu
1961-1965: Orbital space launcher milestone
Following the Soviet Union and U.S. satellite launches of 1957-1958, the decision to give France a ballistic vector for its nuclear WMD program was taken by Charles de Gaulle in 1958.
Following the launch of the dog Laika into earth's orbit on 3rd of November 1957 by the U.S.S.R., France unofficially entered the
manned space race with a little known program - still shrouded in high secrecy to this day.
In
September 1959, Médecin Commandant Violette declared to the London Astronautical Congress: 'We are ready to launch animals aboard Véronique rockets.'
Following the first orbital flight of a cosmonaut by the U.S.S.R on 21st April 1961, France officially entered the space race with a satellite launch vehicle program called Diamant.
By 26th November 1965, the 42 kg Asterix satellite (known as A1) would be put into a 527 km × 1697 km orbit with the 274 kN thrust Diamant-A rocket.
Thus allowing France to become the world's third power with satellite launch capability, after the the U.S.S.R. and the U.S.
Meanwhile, the People's Republic of China's space program would be launched on May 17, 1958, by Chairman Mao Zedong's proposal at the Second Session of the Eighth National Congress of the CPC. The plan comprised three steps: sounding rockets, small satellites and lage satellites.
The first satellite 'DongFangHong-1' (东方红-1号: East is Red One) would be placed into orbit on 24 April 1970, at only the fifth place, after the the U.S.S.R., the U.S., France and even Japan!
http://web.archive.org/web/20191220131206/http://www.cas.cn/xw/zyxw/yw/200906/t20090608_623049.shtml
http://archive.ph/Nc9mc
1961-1967: Animal suborbital flight milestone
Under the
CERMA (Center for Studies and Research in Aerospace Medicine) biological experiments with rockets supervised in French Research Center of Aeronautical Medecine by Médecin Général Grandpierre took place for l961 to 1967. During these years, researches were logically conducted with the study of:
- activity of vestibular nerve, relays, reticulum and cortex
- evoked potentials
- conditioned gesture
- Watchfulness
The functioning of the central nervous system in weightlessness conditions was analysed and a hyper synchronous slowing of brain activity was noticed during pure weightlessness.
A first rat was thus prepared in
November 1959. The electrodes were connected to a connector attached to a vest. But this system was not reliable and was quickly modified.
Seven flights with animals are launched from Hammaguir in the French Algerian desert. The animals were launched inside a pressurized capsule that was supposed to be recovered using a parachute and a radio beacon.
Rats were first launched with Véronique AGI suborbital rockets. The rat 'Hector'was the first living being launched on 22nd February 1961 - this flight was a success. For the rat 'Castor', on 15th October 1962, the recovery ended in failure. Finally the rat 'Pollux', launched on 18th October 1962, was not recovered. In 1963, the center experimented with launching cats with Véronique AGI rockets. The first was a success with the flight of the first cat ever launched, 'Félicette' but the following second launch did not reach the desired altitude.
Two of the five Vesta rocket flights successfully sent two monkeys, 'Martine' and 'Pierrette', over 240 km above sea level.
http://archive.ph/nzTMs/f0a579fa44efabec4d93f8aadde069d516b79db5.jpg ; https://archive.ph/nzTMs/a1dcd61cc3b13304a623044a328b4102bba51659/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20160312...er/images/page07/02-rat-chronique-habille.jpg ; http://web.archive.org/web/20160203...07-animaux/fu073-texte_chatelier/texte07.html ; http://archive.ph/ZJaj8
▲ 1. French rat with electrodes inserted in the brain prepared for a launch.
http://archive.ph/KXETH/9c17e81e64ea39846866b8f3c94d9d936406858e.jpg ; https://archive.ph/KXETH/81733fd49f47fe276a2019d4e62cbcbe07e2a223/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20151222...te_chatelier/images/page08/Chat-dans-syst.jpg ; http://web.archive.org/web/20151208...07-animaux/fu073-texte_chatelier/texte08.html ; http://archive.ph/eT4CR
▲ 2. The first cat in space was launched by France atop a Veronique AGI sub-orbital rocket on October 18th, 1963. This poor animal was actually a stray cat from an animal shelter of Paris. The story goes that fortunately, Felix, the original cat slated for the flight, escaped just prior to launch from the Sahara desert Hammaguir test site in Algeria, and was replaced by the 'backup crew', a female cat named Felicette. Felicette survived the horrific 15 minute flight, reaching an apogee of 217 kilometres. Electrodes implanted in her brain sent information back to Earth, throughout the entire flight. A follow-up launch of a second nameless cat six days later wasn’t so sucessful as he perished during the botched reentry.
http://archive.ph/a2ca2/6088d857bdf17e41c65e75844b2ac949d683d11e.jpg ; https://archive.ph/a2ca2/7472f708e0b647334a443cd3390c3ade70325d50/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20160312...te_chatelier/images/page10/Radio-du-singe.jpg ; http://web.archive.org/web/20160203...07-animaux/fu073-texte_chatelier/texte10.html ; http://archive.ph/xeOtX
▲ 3. Figure 10.2: X-ray of a nemestrina macaque monkey's skull carrying gold alloy electrodes nickel permanently attached and connected to a double connector sealed on his skull.
Thus allowing France to become the world's third power with space biocapsule capability, after the the U.S.and the U.S.S.R.
Meanwhile, the People's Republic of China's first biocapsule would be launched on a T-7 sounding rocket on 19th July 1964, with 4 mice and 4 rats. Placing China at the 4th position after the U.S., the U.S.S.R. and France.
Two more flights would involve sending rats, before the first large mammal, the dog 'Xiaobao', on 15th July 1966, in a 24 minutes suborbital flight at 70 km altitude.
Heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature, and breathing were the four parameters monitored.
http://archive.ph/MNmps/60994c07c645e3648218bdf8c0ff1621c72ed091.gif ; https://archive.ph/MNmps/199b5e4e64600e9a246b54b42c1cf69a3129e28a/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191220...20161117/414a629a84d3423db5ca49ca6291940a.gif ; http://img.mp.itc.cn/upload/20161117/414a629a84d3423db5ca49ca6291940a.gif ; https://defence.pk/pdf/attachments/...5/?temp_hash=88c8d1506d469c8ab8299a4e3c92ff09 ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191220140349/http://www.sohu.com/a/119266241_466840 ; http://archive.ph/nivNJ
▲ 4. On July 15, 1966, China sent its first large mammal in a 24 minutes suborbital flight at 70 km altitude, the dog Xiaobao.
http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n6758968/n6758973/c6772067/content.html
http://archive.ph/sQjoE
http://web.archive.org/web/20190903...nce-dans-lespace-independance-et-cooperations
http://archive.ph/yLZof
1961-1966: Re-entry Vehicle milestone
To complete its nuclear deterrent, France only needed to develop re-entry vehicle (RV) technologies.
The first RV built by Sud Aviation in silica resin material for thermal protection, was launched on 29th March 1966, on a Saphir rocket in Hammaguir, French Algeria, for a 60 km altitude suborbital flight.
Spaceplane HERMES: Europe's Dream of Independent Manned Spaceflight ; By Luc van den Abeelen ; 2016 ; Page 2 ; https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U34MrYoB3VYN8XdCNzw8vth41GI9Q&w=1280
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1961-1992: Orbital spacecraft programs
Hypersonic winged glider were studied from 1961 by CPE and ONERA.
The two-stage reusable launcher's prototype VERAS program was started in 1964 by Nord Aviation.
Spaceplane HERMES: Europe's Dream of Independent Manned Spaceflight ; By Luc van den Abeelen ; 2016 ; Page 3 ; https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U2Xkmli1ss9ajtSwaCDe_VU11TzPA&w=1280
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Manned flight would be possible with mild g-load re-entry, and accurate landing site, all impossible with the Mercury and Vostok capsules.
The spacecraft weighted 1500 kg, including a payload of 1000 kg.
Spaceplane HERMES: Europe's Dream of Independent Manned Spaceflight ; By Luc van den Abeelen ; 2016 ; Page 4 ; https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U31_T6hH_S22ujgDPuGyXi-FPaoOg&w=1280
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First 40 km altitude, Mach 7.8 flight test of a 1000 kg, 3 meters model were expected for 1971, on a Emeraude launcher, made of the Diamant first stage.
But the program was then cancelled, being too futuristic.
Spaceplane HERMES: Europe's Dream of Independent Manned Spaceflight ; By Luc van den Abeelen ; 2016 ; Page 5 ; https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U17iu7YmVNild9tDPMsUDld_cUVzA&w=1280
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From 1961, under an European association called Eurospace, France would continue to study manned spacecrafts.
It would carry a 3-tons payload to a 450 km SSO, return a cargo to Earth, launch horizontally or vertically and land at conventional airport.
Spaceplane HERMES: Europe's Dream of Independent Manned Spaceflight ; By Luc van den Abeelen ; 2016 ; Page 6 ; https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U3VXxwriHsSHSRIKGFEZBlQPLb7XA&w=1280
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TAS was a two stage partially or fully reusable vehicle, proposed by Dassault in 1964.
With a 230 tons weight at take off including a 68 tons orbital plane.
Spaceplane HERMES: Europe's Dream of Independent Manned Spaceflight ; By Luc van den Abeelen ; 2016 ; Page 7 ; https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U1aMNUIKnvvZGCO7fCkjGUFny5GqQ&w=1280
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The program would also be cancelled.
Spaceplane HERMES: Europe's Dream of Independent Manned Spaceflight ; By Luc van den Abeelen ; 2016 ; Page 9 ; https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U3JDdCfrdMuyFIGEZSHdHrtuApDXA&w=1280
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The first proposal for a 3 meters manned capsule of 4 to 5 tons, launched by an Ariane-4 launcher, was discussed on 23rd October 1975.
But again the idea was rejected, as an outdated concept. Winged spacecraft were expected to become the norm, and capsules considered a thing of the past.
Spaceplane HERMES: Europe's Dream of Independent Manned Spaceflight ; By Luc van den Abeelen ; 2016 ; Page 12 ; https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U1KirSb5Ewi0poFsjE65cF1hfCCXA&w=1280
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In 1976 the concept leading to the Hermes space shuttle was proposed, with a 5 to 6 tons mass, launched by an improved Ariane-4 launcher.
With a two pilots and a passenger, each carrying 120 kg of supplies, a cargo of 400 kg, for a mission of 7 days.
Spaceplane HERMES: Europe's Dream of Independent Manned Spaceflight ; By Luc van den Abeelen ; 2016 ; Page 13 ; https://books.google.com/books/cont...sig=ACfU3U1PhUS_9b3HgSMWjGBRFtfNWRybaA&w=1280
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The program would also be cancelled in 1992.
http://archive.is/w5kar/fc855f21b3daa911b4c7d5f16d767cc547888aeb.png ; https://archive.is/w5kar/d3277adbe1bb395895dca43fe672e4cff59e7d67/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191221162337/https://i.imgur.com/hX3tWeZ.png ; http://archive.ph/D4fi9/1f3c05b2cc022867d1cde66af08addd962e3db4b.webp ; https://archive.ph/D4fi9/d3277adbe1bb395895dca43fe672e4cff59e7d67/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191213...fb482e5b8264/838_gettyimages-953941526_1.webp ; http://web.archive.org/web/20190903...nce-dans-lespace-independance-et-cooperations ; http://archive.ph/yLZof
▲ 5. Mock up of Hermes space shuttle in January 1986
1998: First suborbital unmanned space capsule
The ARD is the first space capsule launched in 1998 by ESA, atop an Ariane-5.
https://cds.cern.ch/record/411209/files/cer-000338706.pdf
Meanwhile, in 1975, China became the third nation to develop recoverable spacecraft technology.
《国家记忆》 20161117 《钱学森与中国航天60年》系列 第六集 曙光照苍穹 | CCTV-4 26:55
Memory of a Nation 20161117 | CCTV-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPiCUZPWbyQ
1982: First French manned orbital flight milestone
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▲ 6. Jean-Loup Chrétien first French cosmonaut in space 24 Juin to 2 July 1982.
Franco-Soviet space cooperation took shape on June 30, 1966, during General de Gaulle's visit to Moscow.
Agreements commit the two protagonists to a joint exploitation of space for peaceful purposes in a number of scientific fields.
A few years later, from 1974, the idea of flying a Frenchman in a Soviet spacecraft emerged.
In 1979, the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev proposed to the French President Giscard d'Estaing a space flight, which materialized in 1982 by the PVH mission (First manned flight), carried out by Jean-Loup Chrétien.
http://web.archive.org/web/20190903...-jean-loup-chrtien-marchait-dans-lespace-1116
http://archive.ph/AVzzd
He flew on July 24, 1982 aboard Soyuz T6 with Vladimir Dzhanibekov (3rd flight) and Alexander Ivanchenkov. The crew thus spent seven days and 21 hours 50 minutes on board the Soviet orbital station Saliut 7.
http://web.archive.org/web/20191219...rs/espace_europeen/vols_habites/vol_francais/
http://archive.ph/gCgxR
1988: First French EVA milestone
In autumn 1985, CNES officials expressed the wish to once again fly a Frenchman alongside the Soviets. Enthusiastic, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev offered President François Mitterrand a second flight. It was again performed by Jean-Loup Chrétien.
On December 9, 1988, as part of the Franco-Soviet Aragatz mission, Jean-Loup Chrétien became the first non-Soviet and non-American astronaut to perform a spacewalk (EVA).
http://web.archive.org/web/20190903...-jean-loup-chrtien-marchait-dans-lespace-1116
http://archive.ph/AVzzd
On November 26, 1988, after two years of training, Chrétien flew aboard Soyuz TM7 Aragatz alongside Alexandre Volkov (40, captain) and Serguei Krikalev (30, on-board engineer) to the MIR station . Chrétien was then 50 years old.
On December 9, 1988, Chrétien performs an EVA, the first for a Frenchman.
http://web.archive.org/web/20191219...rs/espace_europeen/vols_habites/vol_francais/
http://archive.ph/gCgxR
The end of the space race with China
Meanwhile, the People's Republic of China's manned space program would be started on October 1965. The Number 651 meeting on discussing the general plan about the first Chinese artificial satellite was held closed-gate at the Beijing Friendship Hotel.
Besides satellite, they also specially discussed manned spaceflight. Before that, after discussion, the Chineses Academy of Sciences proposed a grand plan, of which, the most exiting part was that five years after the first Chinese man-made earth satellite was launched, a manned spacecraft would be launched.
The spacecraft was named Dayaojin (Great Leap Forward). At first it was not named Shuguang-1.
In June 1967, arranged by Qian Xuesen, the Eighth Design Institute of the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building set up the Office of General Study of Manned Spacecraft.
Three months later, a feasibility report on spacecraft was placed on the desk of Qian Xuesen.
Qian Xuesen exited told the researcher that the Central Commitee of the CPC had granted the spacecraft a name, Shuguang (Dawn).
In the initiatory plan of the Shuguang Project, the researchers were inclined to carry five astronauts for the first attempt.
People also placed their passion to surpass the Soviet Union and the U.S. on the manned spacecraft. However, Qian Xuesen was fully aware that the problem was not so easy. The launcher developed from intercontinental missile could not produce enough thrust.
Research on the spacecraft measurement and control and space medicine had not followed up yet. Faced with the reality, Qian Xuesen proposed to keep discussing a plan with less astronaut.
On July 14, 1970, 80 days after the launch of China's first satellite, Dongfanghong I, a secret report of the State Science and Technology Commission was sent to the central leadership's desks including Zhou Enlai. The report made it clear the need to start the development of manned spacecraft, selection and training of astronauts. Mao Zedong circled the document and agreed. The approval of Mao Zedong meant the official launch of the Shuguang-1 (Dawn-1) manned spacecraft project. Shuguang-1 was also known under the secret code name of Project 714. The development of various systems began under the commander of the manned spaceflight technology, Dr. Qian Xuesen.
Since 1972, the research on the Shuguang-1 started to slow down. With regard to the reality, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai decided to suspend Project 714, to work on the Earth first.
http://archive.ph/RW8wJ/e5f647b597b7236ee69eefb64c758c6d0f7b2af1.jpg ; https://archive.ph/RW8wJ/da43cf2b28045214574bcb27d21e2fab903e6c21/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191220...1117/fab0e03f90ed483e90aeffb517d0e360_th.jpeg ; https://defence.pk/pdf/attachments/...4/?temp_hash=88c8d1506d469c8ab8299a4e3c92ff09 ; http://img.mp.itc.cn/upload/20161117/fab0e03f90ed483e90aeffb517d0e360_th.jpeg ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191220140349/http://www.sohu.com/a/119266241_466840 ; http://archive.ph/nivNJ#
▲ 7. Official rendering of the external view of Shuguang-1 spacecraft. “曙光一号”载人飞船设计图
《国家记忆》 20161117 《钱学森与中国航天60年》系列 第六集 曙光照苍穹 | CCTV-4 26:55
Memory of a Nation 20161117 | CCTV-4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPiCUZPWbyQ
During the 1980s the program would evolve as the Chinese Project 863 manned orbital spacecraft.
http://archive.ph/vNHB9/a3f74c81f3d9a4a226fbf39d62b61010540ed615.jpg ; https://archive.ph/vNHB9/94c2f67c65d20a8ebf7715ec1e85389d58d5e49e/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20191220145402/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CtM00zuUIAA1nnm.jpg ; https://twitter.com/cnspaceflight/status/780025284942712835
▲ 8. Chinese Project 863 manned orbital spacecraft concept from Beijing Institute of Control Engineering of April 1989
Then again the program would be reshuffled from 1992 under the Chinese Project 921 manned orbital spacecraft.
A strategy that ultimately ended the four decade-old race for the 3rd place as a manned spacefaring power, with the successful flight of China's first astronaut, Yang Liwei aboard the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft, on 15th October 2003.
It would only have required to put a manned space capsule atop the 274 kN thrust Diamant-A SLV to accomplish a manned suborbital flight. Materially France had reached the manned spaceflight threshold since 1965.
Today, some six decades later, even with a
budget of 2.4 billion euros in 2019, France that boast of financing the third largest space program's budget in the world, just behind the United States (more than 40 billion dollars including the NASA and the military) and China (about USD 7 billion), and even with the possession of powerful Vega, Ariane-5 and Ariane-6 SLVs, France and Europe still can't launch a single astronaut into a modest 100 km altitude 20 minutes surborbital flight.
The initial fatal gamble since 1961 of bypassing the development of capsules, for the most prestigious and futuristic, but highly risky space planes, decisions repeatedly reconfirmed several times over the last 6 decades until today, can not explain alone the Frenchs' inability to send a man into space.
In fact, the first filter shows that it is due to France's lack of a green light, or weakness in past achieved historical milestones. As compared to the Asian heavy competitors: China, Korea, Turkey, Japan, etc.
Through the second filter, and from the most recent sci-fi movie presented below, that stresses total delusion, and presents human spacefaring as
low life guinea pigs exposed to lethal space radiations, and decimated like the cannibal dogs of spaceship #9, only to end up in the ultimate cosmic meat grinder of black holes, it is obvious that France could never have achieved the third manned spaceflight in the world, and that no European powers (France, UK, Germany) will be able to be the fourth in the world to place a man into space.
High Life is a 2018 space science fiction film by the French director Claire Denis, co-produced by France, Germany, the UK, Poland and the US.
Storyline
'High Life' takes place beyond the solar system in a future that seems like the present. About a group of death-row inmates who accept a mission in space to become the subjects of a human reproduction experiment. They find themselves in the most unimaginable situation after a storm of cosmic rays hit the ship.
Monte (Robert Pattinson) and his baby daughter are the last survivors of a damned and dangerous mission to deep space. The crew—death-row inmates led by a doctor (Juliette Binoche) with sinister motives—has vanished. As the mystery of what happened onboard the ship is unraveled, father and daughter must rely on each other to survive as they hurtle toward the oblivion of a black hole.
https://a24films.com/films/high-life
https://archive.is/lsJiN
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▲ 9. High Life is a 2018 space science fiction film by the French director Claire Denis, co-produced by France, Germany, the UK, Poland and the US.
2. Implication for Iran
Iran presents many similarities with France. The first filter shows that Iran lacks a green light, due to its weakness in past achieved historical milestones.
Moreover, Iran's path is literally a copycat of the France one:
The suborbital biocapsule program is obviously so French in concept, that in 2013, fifty years after the flight of the cat Felicette, Iran even announced its intention to send its own cat into space next.
16th September 2013
The lead candidate for the second launch of the probe is a special breed of living cat, known as the Persian Cat, known worldwide, said the head of the Iranian Space Agency's Astronautical Systems Research Institute. The launch will be using liquid fuel until the end of this year.
Dr. Mohammad Ebrahimi said: "Any creature other than the Iranian cat has either been sent into space by other explorers in the past or is a race from other countries, including the pioneer astronaut monkey.
Some news sources cite other organisms such as mice and rabbits as the main candidate for launching the second living creature.
http://web.archive.org/web/20191221...r/news/249166/جزئیات-پرتاب-Persian-Cat-به-فضا
http://archive.ph/ZIQTX
Obvious similarities between the Iranian and French suborbital biocapsules:
http://archive.ph/2Xygz/98f6135e8b0293e83b69b64ef9be7c35c1205c18.jpg ; https://archive.ph/2Xygz/7112af507dcaa87bd9d6da6c0882f504bf49b7e0/scr.png ; http://web.archive.org/web/20160312...073-texte_chatelier/images/page14/image15.jpg ; http://web.archive.org/web/20160203...07-animaux/fu073-texte_chatelier/texte14.html ; http://archive.ph/untCX
▲ 10. Overview of French suborbital animal flights
http://archive.is/BvRq5/775e0c444611f506362b2e58ffe534ca740adb6b.png ; https://archive.is/BvRq5/e1c7389ba4d322dc72ac9d4928e3e8bdafe2850d/scr.png ; web.archive.org/web/20191221141720/https://i.imgur.com/kX6vXwW.png
▲ 11. Overview of Iranian suborbital animal flights
Since there is no real scientific justification behind these suborbital animal flights, more than half a century after the first one, it is only meant to be an internal and external announcement of one's future space plan. It's function is similar to the sci-fi movie production.
Therefore, it is strongly suspected that Iran will not be the next, i.e. the 4th manned spacefaring power, and that instead of waiting for its turn (11th at the earliest according to the green light list), Iran would more likely send an astronaut into space aboard a foreign spacecraft, most probably a Russian Soyuz, just like France did in 1982.
But, from the second filter, that depicts a 'positive' perception of the manned space in its nascent sci-fi movie industry, one can not rule out that Iran performs sometime in the years ahead, a joint spaceflight at the 4th place, if it accepts to take a seat in a spacecraft launched from North Korea. Taking advantage of the North Korean Green Light.
