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.[1][2] 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.[2] The flight did not reach outer space.
The "Albert" project was plagued by numerous operational failures. The respiratory apparatus failed before launch, and the parachute system also failed.[2] Albert likely died due to breathing problems, but since the capsule's parachute failed to open, Albert I would have died on impact anyway.[1][3] 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.[1][3]
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).[2][4]
