Russia has appointed former deputy prime minister Yury Borisov as the new chief of its space agency, Roscosmos.
He replaces Dmitry Rogozin, who served as director general over the past four years.
Mr Rogozin was known for his anti-West rhetoric, in which he threatened to end the International Space Station partnership several times.
In 2014, he famously said that Nasa can launch its astronauts “on trampolines”, after the US imposed sanctions on Russia for its annexation of Crimea.
After sanctions were imposed against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, Mr Rogozin made several threats, including saying that he could drop the space station on the US, Europe and India.
He also stopped supplying American companies with Russian engines, saying they could “fly on their brooms” and posted a video that suggested Russia would leave an American astronaut stranded on the ISS.
A reshuffle was ordered on Friday by Russian President Vladimir Putin that included Mr Borisov taking leadership of Roscosmos, though, no reason was given as to why Mr Rogozin was dismissed.
Later on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there were no complaints about Mr Rogozin's performance at Roscosmos and he would receive a new position, Russian state news agency Tass reported.
Mr Borisov, 65, served as Russian deputy minister of defence, overseeing the weapons industry from 2012 to 2018.
He took over from Mr Rogozin in 2018 to serve as deputy prime minister of defence. He served until July 2022.
During his time in the government, he oversaw state policy in the weapons industry, including technological and nuclear engineering supervision, military-technical co-operation with foreign countries and equipping the Russian state border.
What are his plans for Roscosmos?
Mr Borisov has become space chief at a time when Russia’s space programme is experiencing dire effects from the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The EU sanctions placed on Russia mean a decrease in co-operation.
Recently, Europe cut ties with Roscosmos on a Mars rover project that the two were collaborating on.
Roscosmos has removed its rockets and staff from a spaceport in French Guiana, with French company Arianespace no longer using Soyuz rockets to launch its satellites.
OneWeb, a private UK company that is building a satellite constellation, voted to stop using Soyuz rockets after Mr Rogozin refused to launch their satellites unless they cut ties with the UK government.
However, co-operation with US space agency Nasa continues as before, despite the relationship being delicate.
On the same day, Mr Rogozin was dismissed, it was announced that Nasa and Roscosmos had signed an agreement to exchange seats on flights to the ISS.
This means some American astronauts will fly on the Soyuz on coming missions, while Russian cosmonauts will be launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Kennedy Space Centre.
So far, it is unclear the direction Mr Borisov wants to take Roscosmos but, after Russia’s invaded Ukraine, it has been reported that the country’s space programme will likely focus more on militarisation.
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarla%20Gutierrez%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Frida%20Kahlo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE