Albert I (monkey)

Albert I was a rhesus macaque monkey and the first mammal launched on a rocket (V-2 Rocket "Blossom No. 3") on June 18, 1948. The launch was staged at White Sands Proving Ground, Las Cruces, New Mexico. Albert I, a nine-pound monkey, was anesthetized and placed inside the rocket's crew capsule in the nose of the V-2 rocket. The flight did not reach outer space.

Background
The "Albert" project was plagued by numerous operational failures. The respiratory apparatus failed before launch, and the parachute system also failed. Albert likely died due to breathing problems, but since the capsule's parachute failed to open, Albert I would have died on impact anyway. The V-2 Blossom (designated "missile number 37") reached an altitude of 39 miles (62 km), reaching the mesosphere, but due to a failed valve, the rocket's ascent to space failed.

The project continued with the successful June 14, 1949, launch of Albert II into space in a suborbital flight, though he also died (on impact).