The first primate astronaut was Albert, a rhesus macaque, who on June 11, 1948, rode to over 63 km (39 mi) on a V-2 rocket. Albert died of suffocation during the flight.
Albert was followed by Albert II, who survived the V-2 flight but died on impact on June 14, 1949, after a parachute failure. Albert II became the first monkey and the first primate in space as his flight reached 134 km