Posted: Thu, Jan 22, 2015, 7:47 AM ET (1247 GMT)
Russian president Vladimir Putin approved plans Wednesday to merge the Russian space agency Roscosmos with a new industry conglomerate, in the process removing the current head of Roscosmos. Under the plan, Roscosmos would merge with the United Rocket and Space Corporation (USRC), a joint-stock corporation established by the Russian government in 2013 to renationalize the Russian space industry. The merged entity would retain the Roscosmos name but current Roscosmos head Oleg Ostapenko would be replaced by Igor Komarov, the head of USRC.

Related Links:

•  Moscow Times article
•  TASS article