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They talk of launch dailures, but the continuing quality control & operational problems with Soyuz probably entered into it too....
Aviation Week....
Aviation Week....
Russia Replaces Veteran Space Agency Chief
Apr 29 , 2011
By Alissa de Carbonnel/Reuters
MOSCOW- Russia named a new space agency chief on Friday following a string of embarrassing setbacks and failed satellite launches.
Anatoly Perminov, 65, head of Roskomos since 2004, was ordered to retire on Friday, a government spokesman said, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin named former deputy defense minister Vladimir Popovkin as his successor.
Rumors of Perminov’s sacking have swirled since December, when Russia lost three costly high-tech GLONASS navigation satellites in a failed launch that hampered the Kremlin’s much-touted plans to rival the U.S. GPS system.
Two high-ranking space officials were fired over the botched launch. While the official retirement age in Russia is 65, in practice many officials continue to work after this age.
Perminov will step down just weeks after he presided over high-profile 50th anniversary celebrations of Russia’s space race victory in launching the first human into orbit, with Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s maiden April 1961 voyage.
Apr 29 , 2011
By Alissa de Carbonnel/Reuters
MOSCOW- Russia named a new space agency chief on Friday following a string of embarrassing setbacks and failed satellite launches.
Anatoly Perminov, 65, head of Roskomos since 2004, was ordered to retire on Friday, a government spokesman said, and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin named former deputy defense minister Vladimir Popovkin as his successor.
Rumors of Perminov’s sacking have swirled since December, when Russia lost three costly high-tech GLONASS navigation satellites in a failed launch that hampered the Kremlin’s much-touted plans to rival the U.S. GPS system.
Two high-ranking space officials were fired over the botched launch. While the official retirement age in Russia is 65, in practice many officials continue to work after this age.
Perminov will step down just weeks after he presided over high-profile 50th anniversary celebrations of Russia’s space race victory in launching the first human into orbit, with Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s maiden April 1961 voyage.