Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome inaugural launch was delayed by one day -- frustrating President Vladimir Putin. NPO Automatics, the company responsible for cables that likely malfunctioned, saw its director general Leonid Shalimov resign in the aftermath. Photo courtesy Roscosmos/Twitter
MOSCOW, May 5 (UPI) -- Leonid Shalimov, the director general of Russia's NPO Automatics, has resigned over the launch delay of the unmanned Soyuz-2.1a rocket at the new billion dollar Vostochny Cosmodrome.
"The director general has tendered resignation. Mikhail Trapeznikov, first deputy director general for science, has been appointed acting head of NPO Automatics. The special probe commission continues its work at the company today," NPO Automatics, officially called Research and Production Association of Automatics, announced Thursday.
The Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrier rocket was scheduled to launch from the Vostochny Cosmodrome spaceport on April 27 but the launch was delayed by one day. The delay is linked to a glitch that was "caused most likely by a cable malfunction," according to Igor Komarov, the head of Russia's Roscosmos State Space Corporation. NPO Automatics was responsible for the seemingly failed cables.
Shalimov previously received a service incompetence warning ahead of the launch related to faulty wiring. Russian President Vladimir Putin was frustrated by the delay, as he flew to Amur Oblast in Russia's Far East for the event.
"Russia remains a leader in the number of launches, it is a fact, this is good," Putin told space officials after the delay. "But we encounter a large number of mishaps. This is bad, and there should be a professional and prompt reaction."
The launch was supposed to be a shining moment for the new cosmodrome, which has drawn negative focus for various problems since its construction started in 2012. The facility is not yet finished. Officials expect it to be completed sometime in 2018.
The billion dollar Vostochny Cosmodrome was built to ease Russia's dependence on the Soviet-era Baikonur Cosmodrome, located in what is now Kazakhstan. Scandals involving corruption, unpaid wages and delays have drawn heavy criticism.
Russia recently sentenced Igor Nesterenko, the former director of a construction company involved in building the Vostochny Cosmodrome, to three years and three months in a labor camp on charges of fraud.
Doug G. Ware contributed to this report.
