The director general of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Vladimir Popovkin, was hospitalized March 7 “in connection with his health deterioration,” Russia’s Itar-Tass news agency reported March 11.
The Roscosmos press service described Popovkin’s condition to Itar-Tass as “stably good.” Roscosmos attributed Popovkin’s health deterioration to “continued physical and emotional strain, including frequent official business trips with jet fatigue and intensive work.”
Popovkin, 54, was among the world’s space leaders who attended a March 1 international space station meeting in Montreal, Canada.
Popovkin’s deputy, Vitaly Davydov, is Roscosmos’ temporary acting director general.