Former Roscosmos head Aleksandrovich Popovkin passed away on 18 June after a long illness, according to a press release by the Russian space agency.
Popovkin was replaced at the agency in October 2013 by Oleg Ostapenko, the former commander of the…
Former Roscosmos head Aleksandrovich Popovkin passed away on 18 June after a long illness, according to a press release by the Russian space agency.
Popovkin was replaced at the agency in October 2013 by Oleg Ostapenko, the former commander of the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces.
He had spent two and a half years in the role during a turbulent period for the space sector that saw a series of Proton rocket failures, as well as an official assessment that slammed Roscosmos for launching less than half the required number of satellites into orbit between 2010 and 2012.
Born in Dushanbe on 25 September 1957, Popovkin started out as a military engineer at Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome launch site.
He quickly rose through the ranks, joining Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces in 1986, and becoming chief of staff and later commander of the Russian Space Forces military division that Putin set up in 2001.
He was also awarded the state and departmental awards.
