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Vasily Sychev appointed acting director of Khrunichev Centre

Vladimir Nesterov was relieved of his duties by the Russian president’s decree after a series of abortive space launches

Photo ITAR-TASS

Photo ITAR-TASS

MOSCOW, September 6 (Itar-Tass) — Vasily Sychev has been appointed Acting Director General of the Khrunichev State Space Research and Production Centre by the order of head of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) Vladimir Popovkin.

Sychev will perform his new duties “starting from September 3, 2012 until the appointment under the established procedure of the enterprise’s director general,” the Centre reported on its website. Earlier, he held the post of deputy head of the Khrunichev Centre.

On August 31, head of the Khrunichev Centre Vladimir Nesterov was relieved of his duties by the Russian president’s decree after a series of abortive space launches related to equipment failures, mainly the Briz-M upper stages manufactured by the Khrunichev Centre.

The company’s new director general will be appointed on the results of a competition to fill the vacancy of the Khrunichev Centre’s director general, which will be announced by Roskosmos.

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