Iran plans manned space mission

Iran plans to send a manned rocket into space in the next 10 years, state television said yesterday, just days after the Islamic Republic announced it had put a dummy satellite into orbit.

Embroiled in a standoff with the West over its nuclear ambitions, Iran said on Sunday it had put a dummy satellite into orbit on a home-grown rocket for the first time.

US security officials said Teheran's attempted satellite launch was a failure that fell short of claimed successes, but an analyst said the test marked a technical advance for Iran.