Posted: Thu, Jun 19, 2014, 6:55 AM ET (1055 GMT)
Vladimir Popovkin, the former head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 57. Popovkin served as head of Roscosmos from April 2011 to October 2013, overseeing the agency during a time when it suffered from a number of launch failures and other problems, including the loss of the Fobos-Grunt Mars mission in late 2011. Popovkin previously served in a number of positions in the Russian Defense Ministry, including First Deputy Minister of Defense, prior to being selected to run Roscosmos. He was replaced last October by the agency's current chief, Oleg Ostapenko. Popovkin died of an undisclosed illness.

Related Links:

•  The Moscow Times article
•  Itar-Tass article