Space exploration is difficult and dangerous. The innermost dream of mankind about flights to distant stars is being realized, but the process is progressing slowly. By now, in near-earth orbit, it is getting crowded from flying vehicles for various purposes. Not only communication satellites hang here, but also fireballs, which are on the balance sheet of the Ministry of Defense. Special rocket and space troops have been created in the Russian Federation. Several years ago, they were commanded by Vladimir Alexandrovich Popovkin.
In the service of the Motherland
People of the older generation remember well how keenly the Soviet Union and the United States competed in space exploration. Our scientists and engineers were the first to launch an artificial satellite into near-earth orbit. In this context, it is important to note that this was a technically challenging task. Higher and secondary educational institutions persistently trained specialized specialists capable of creating a space shield for the Motherland. Vladimir Alexandrovich Popovkin was born on September 25, 1957 into a military family. Father, a career officer, served in the tank forces. At that time, the parents lived in the city of Dushanbe.
A significant event can be considered the fact that two weeks after the birth of Volodya Popovkin, the Soviet satellite, which was mentioned above, confidently sent signals from space. It is not surprising that the boys of that time dreamed of becoming astronauts, pilots or spacecraft designers. The biography of the future head of Roscosmos took shape in line with this mainstream. He willingly studied at the physics and mathematics school. He was interested in technology and was engaged in an aircraft modeling circle. When it was time to choose a profession after school, he arrived in Leningrad and entered the Military Engineering Institute named after V. I. Mozhaisky.
In 1979, the graduate was assigned to the famous Baikonur cosmodrome for further service. The place for a career was quite suitable. The newly minted lieutenant took up his duties as the head of the department on the launch pad from which the legendary pilot-cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin paved the way into space. The work was both honorable and very responsible. In those years, missiles for various purposes were launched regularly. In parallel with this, the equipment was improved and updated. Lagging in the space race of the two powers was not allowed a priori.
Vladimir Popovkin, as an intelligent specialist and promising commander, was sent to study at the Academy of Strategic Missile Forces. Having received additional education, the officer could already count on the rank of general and the corresponding position. Moving vertically was not long in coming. In 1989, Popovkin was transferred to the apparatus of the Ministry of Defense. Under his command was the Office of Space Facilities. To successfully lead this direction, it is necessary to have all the information, both technical and operational, about the state of affairs in the troops.
Work in the General Staff
After the Soviet Union ceased to exist, a number of changes followed in the structure of command and control of the armed forces. At that moment in time, even the most progressive-minded military did not quite understand who Russia's potential adversary was now. The reorganization in the troops proceeded without sufficient control on the part of the district commanders and the Ministry of Defense. Popovkin was transferred to the General Staff and appointed head of the operational department. Management officers, by all possible means, tried to maintain order in the army. Theft, hazing, moral decay of the commanders could be suppressed with great difficulty.
General Popovkin personally made a significant contribution to establishing and maintaining order. The rebuilding of the armed forces, slow but steady, began in 2000 with the arrival of Vladimir Putin as president. The shameless "creativity" of entrepreneurs and businessmen on the basis of the army in a short time was curtailed. In the summer of 2001, the president appointed Popovkin chief of staff of the space forces. Systematic work began to restore the combat effectiveness of units and formations. It should be noted that the troops suffered huge losses as a result of the conversion and disarmament program.
Another problem that General Popovkin had to deal with closely was the restoration of the military-industrial complex. The market relationship between the customer and the contractor creates a number of circumstances that cannot be foreseen. An elementary increase in fuel prices may cause the disruption of the program for the supply of weapons to the troops. Many technologies in enterprises have been lost. The element base for satellite control systems was purchased abroad. The shortage of qualified engineers and workers was acutely felt.
Failures of "Roscosmos"
In the spring of 2011, by presidential decree, Vladimir Popovkin was appointed head of the state corporation Roscosmos. This decision followed a series of accidents and serious problems in launching rockets into low-earth orbit. By that time, an extremely unpleasant and even dangerous situation had developed for the country. The President set a task for the space industry to gain a foothold in the market of relevant services. And after this order, accidents and very tangible financial and reputational losses began.
For one year, Russian specialists were unable to launch a communications satellite into orbit. After that the cargo ship "Progress" crashed. Then the interplanetary vehicle "Phobos", which was heading towards Mars, lost control. It should be noted that the arrival of Vladimir Popovkin in the corporation did not change the situation. After one of the severe accidents, he received poisoning during the inspection of the scene and became seriously ill.
Less than a year after this incident, Vladimir Alexandrovich Popovkin was gone. He died during treatment for cancer. Little is known about the general's personal life. He was married for a second marriage. The husband and wife raised their daughter. He did not forget the eldest daughter from his first marriage either. I tried in every possible way to help her. Vladimir Popovkin died on June 18, 2014.
