Posted: Fri, Apr 29, 2011, 9:40 AM ET (1340 GMT)
The head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos was effectively fired on Friday and replaced with a defense ministry official. Anatoly Perminov was removed as the head of Roskosmos Friday, officially because he is reaching the retirement age of 65. However, many believe his removal is linked to recent problems experienced by the Russian space program, including the loss of three GLONASS navigation satellites in a Proton launch failure last December. Perminov is being replaced by former First Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin, who previously served as the commander of the Russian Space Forces.

Related Links:

•  RIA Novosti article
•  BBC article
•  Itar-Tass article
•  AFP article