Dmitry Rogozin appointed Roscosmos head
Vladimir Putin appoints Dmitry Rogozin as general director of the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities. Photo Credit: kremlin.ru
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Dmitry Rogozin as general director of the Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities effective May 24, 2018. An executive order that changes the leadership of Russia’s space agency was signed during a meeting at Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.
“The President of Russian Federation invited Dmitry Rogozin to head the State Space Corporation Roscosmos,” The state corporation informed on its website. The decision was expected by Russian media outlets as rumors about the appointment had been circulating since the beginning of last week.
Putin met with Rogozin at Konstantin Palace to nominate him as head of Roscosmos, taking into account his experience as an expert overseeing Russia’s space activities. The Russian president underlined Rogozin’s commitment to the development of the country’s space industry.
“You have already reported your proposals on strengthening and developing this company,” Putin said. “We have discussed it many times. You have a remarkable opportunity to start implementing the development plans you proposed as the head of Roscosmos.”
In reply to Putin’s nomination, Rogozin said that he would do everything possible and necessary to meet the president’s expectations. He added that his new job entails a huge responsibility.
Rogozin previously served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Defense and Space Industry between Dec. 23, 2011, and May 18, 2018, before he was dismissed by Putin. It was his initiative to reorganize Roscosmos into a state corporation in 2015.
Rogozin replaces Igor Komarov, who served as the Roscosmos boss for the last three years, four months. According to RT, Komarov could now get a high post in Rostec, a state-run weapons producer.
The replacement marks the fourth change in leadership for Roscosmos within the last decade. This is mainly due to many launch failures and corruption scandals that have battered the Russian space program in recent years.
Tomasz Nowakowski
Tomasz Nowakowski is the owner of Astro Watch, one of the premier astronomy and science-related blogs on the internet. Nowakowski reached out to SpaceFlight Insider in an effort to have the two space-related websites collaborate. Nowakowski's generous offer was gratefully received with the two organizations now working to better relay important developments as they pertain to space exploration.
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