Who is Russia’s new space chief Yury Borisov?

The former deputy prime minister oversaw the weapons industry and will now lead Roscosmos

Russia announced plans to leave the International Space Station after 2024 and build an independent one. Reuters

A Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket booster at the Baikonur Cosmodrome spaceport, in an area of southern Kazakhstan leased to Russia. Reuters

A Soyuz-2.1a is readied for launch. Nasa has announced that it will resume flights to the International Space Station with Russia.

This is taking place despite Washington's attempts to isolate Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. AFP

Nasa's announcement came hours Dmitry Rogozin was dismissed as head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency. AFP

A vocal backer of Russia's invasion, Mr Rogozin, had said US astronauts should get to the ISS 'on trampolines' rather than Russian rockets. AFP

Earlier this month, Russia's former Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov was appointed as the new director-general of Roscosmos. AP

A Russian rocket to the ISS launched since the invasion bore the inscription Donbas and its nose cone and had the flags of breakaway enclaves painted on it. AP

The Soyuz rocket blasts off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The last Nasa astronaut to take a Soyuz to the ISS was Mark Vande Hei in 2021. AP

Nasa said the ISS was always designed to be operated jointly. Reuters

The space agencies of the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada participate. Reuters

US astronaut Mark Vande Hei has a spectacular view of Earth from inside the ISS. AP

Nasa astronaut Mark Vande Hei of Nasa, left, returns from the ISS with cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov, centre, and Pyotr Dubrov. EPA

Their Russian Soyuz MS-19 space capsule lands south-east of the town of Zhezkazgan in Kazakhstan. AP

A Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft carrying Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov approaches to dock with the ISS. Reuters

A spectacular night-time Soyuz launch. AFP

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.