Medvedev Reprimands Roscosmos Chief

Roscosmos Chief Popovkin Ria Novosti image posted on AmericaSpace
Roscosmos Chief Vladimir Popovkin has been reprimanded by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Photo Credit: Ria Novosti

On August 2, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev issued an official reprimand to Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin citing incompetence.

“The head of the federal space agency Vladimir Popovkin must be given a reprimand for improperly carrying out his professional duties,” Phys Org reported the document to say. The complete text of the reprimand is not currently available.

Popovkin himself inherited his job when his predecessor was ousted in 2011 following a series of launch failures. Officials, however, are indicating that the reprimand has nothing to do with the recent Proton-M launch failure. UPI reported that Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who has oversight of the space industry, tweeted: ”Vladimir Popovkin has been reprimanded. … But this reprimand has nothing to do with the recent Proton-M accident.” The timing seems odd, since the investigation into the Proton-M incident just completed.

 

This article was written by Merryl Azriel of Space Safety Magazine and can be viewed here: Reprimand

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