Russian President Vladimir Putin sacked the head of the Roscosmos space agency, Yury Borisov, amid falling behind in the space race, Russian media reported.
He was replaced by Dmitry Bakanov, former deputy transport minister and head of the state-owned satellite communications company Gonets. However, the Kremlin described the personnel reshuffle as a “planned rotation,” according to spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The corporation needs dynamic development, which is why these personnel changes are taking place.
Although Moscow’s space programme has stalled in recent years, it is still attempting spectacular missions. In 2023, Roscosmos failed to land the Luna-25 probe at the moon’s south pole, losing to India in the race to reach the resource-rich region of the lunar surface.
At the same time, space co-operation has become a key part of Russia’s partnership with North Korea. Moscow is also a junior partner in Beijing’s programme to build a lunar base.
Previously, Borisov endorsed plans to launch the first two modules of the Russian space station in 2027 after the European Space Agency ended co-operation with Moscow on missions to the Moon and Mars. While Russia has pledged to remain on the International Space Station until 2028, its long-term role in space remains uncertain.
