The Kremlin dismissed the head of Russia's space agency on Thursday after a tenure of less than three years scarred by the spectacular failure of Russia's first mission to the moon in 47 years.

He was replaced by deputy transport minister Dmitry Bakanov, who before joining the government had been in charge of a satellite company.

Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the chief of Roscosmos and replaced him with another official in a surprise shake up at one of the world’s biggest space agencies.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that it had named a new head of Russia's space agency to ensure its ability to develop "dymanically" but rejected the suggestion that his fired predecessor had done anything wrong.

In a surprise move, Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed Yury Borisov as head of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos. According to a decree published on Thursday on the Kremlin's website, Dmitry Bakanov has been appointed as the new director general of Roscosmos.

The Kremlin on Thursday removed the head of Russia's space agency after a tenure of less than three years that was scarred by the spectacular failure of Russia's first mission to the moon in 47 years.