While space policy in the US this week has been dominated by Hubble and the new exploration initiative, there have been some significant changes within the Russian space agency. On Tuesday, as part of a larger government reorganization, the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, or Rosaviakosmos, was renamed the Federal Space Agency, according to Itar-Tass. It was also stripped of its oversight of the Russian aviation industry, which had been added to the original Russian Space Agency back in 1999. Late Thursday the Russian news service RIA Novosti reported that the head of the space agency, Yuri Koptev, would be retiring. His successor will be Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian Space Forces, a branch of the Russian military. The change isn’t official yet, and there’s no indication whether Koptev, who turns 64 on Saturday, was leaving on his own or was forced out.
