Vladimir Popovkin
| Vladimir Popovkin | |
|---|---|
Vladimir Popovkin (right), Director of Roscosmos
|
|
| Native name | Владимир Александрович Поповкин |
| Birth name | Vladimir Aleksandrovich Popovkin |
| Born |
25 September 1957 Dushanbe |
| Died | 18 June 2014 (aged 56) Israel |
| Allegiance |
 Russia
|
| Service/branch | Space Forces |
| Years of service | 1975–2009 |
| Rank | General of the Army |
| Commands held | Space Forces |
| Awards |
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, Order of Military Merit... |
| Other work | Director General of Roscosmos |
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Popovkin (Russian: Владимир Александрович Поповкин; 25 September 1957 – 18 June 2014) was the General Director of the Russian Federal Space Agency and former First Deputy Defense Minister of Russia. He was a General of the Army and former commander of the Russian Space Forces.
Vladimir Popovkin was born on 25 September 1957 in Dushanbe, Tajik SSR, Soviet Union, where his father was serving in the 211st Tank Division . His family moved to Kalinin in 1968 where he began to study physics and mathematics. He entered service with the Soviet Army in 1975, and graduated as an engineer from Leningrad Military-Space Academy in 1979.
Following graduation, Popovkin served at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in various positions, including as an engineer, head of engineering and as the launch commander of Launch Pad 1 (Gagarin's Start).
In 1986, Popovkin received a position at the Directorate of Space Systems in the Ministry of Defence. In 1989 Popovkin graduated from Military Academy of Strategic Rocket Forces and continued working as an officer and senior officer in the Directorate of Space Systems.
In 1991 he moved to the General Staff in Moscow where he held a number of positions ending up with a senior position in operational management.
After the creation of the Russian Space Forces in 2001, the then Major General Popovkin was appointed the first Chief of Staff by President Vladimir Putin. He is also reported as being the head of the board of trustees of the military's space academy.
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