A Russian space agency established in 1992 after the break-up of the former USSR in 1991. The facilities of the former USSR civilian space programme were transferred to the RK. Yuri Koptev headed the organization from its founding until 2004. It has a staff of about 300, with much work contracted to the Energiya Rocket and Space Complex and other companies. RK was in charge of the space station Mir, and is a major partner in the International Space Station. It has played a more major role since NASA's space shuttles were grounded in 2003 following the Columbia space shuttle disaster. On 21 October 2003, it signed an agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) to launch two uncrewed Foton capsules for scientific experiments in 2005 and 2006. Foton-M launched in May 2005 and Foton-M3 in 2007. The Federal Agency dissolved on 28 December 2015, completing the formal transition between the agency and the state corporation ROSCOSMOS. On 19 August 2016 the Russian government issued a decree transferring federal ownership of stocks for 46 companies in the rocket industry to the ROSCOSMOS State Corporation. By 2017 the Kremlin had approved positions for 450 people at ROSCOSMOS.