Russian Space Agency announced that four female geckos and one male, launched into space, have died. The geckos were sent into space for an experiment to test the effect of microgravity on their breeding.

The mission was part of a biology experiment of Russia's Institute of Medico-Biological Problems on the weightlessness' effect on mating.

Russia had launched a satellite, Foton-M4, on July 19, which was scheduled to stay in space for a year. Along with geckos, mushrooms, fruit flies and scientific equipments were there in the satellite. Fruit flies have been found alive and even have bred. The material has been sent to lab for further investigation.

The satellite was brought back to Earth on Monday. Russia's Space Agency's team had opened the satellite to find all the geckos dead. All the geckos had died before they could breed.

After the launch, the satellite had lost contact with space station. Scientists thought that life-support systems could fail. Within a few days, the connection with the satellite was restored.

According to sources, the geckos had died about a week before satellite's return to earth.

Russian Space Agency had sent one male gecko and four female geckos to space to analyze microgravity's effect on their breeding.

The agency has confirmed the news by saying that a team of specialists will determine the date and conditions of geckos' death.

Scientists have not found what they died of, or whether the geckos have mated in the mission.

A statement of agency says, "Their tiny, partially mummified bodies were found within their enclosure aboard the small Foton-M4 spacecraft at the conclusion of their mission".

To determine geckos' cause of death, Russian Space Agency will appoint an emergency commission.