Moscow, Nov 27 (IANS/RIA Novosti): A structural reform of Russia's space industry will see its numerous enterprises united into five or six large holdings, according to Federal Space Agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said.

The reform should make the troubled industry more manageable, Popovkin said after a governmental meeting in Moscow.

The draft list of industries to get separate holdings includes orbital spacecraft development, in-orbit operation, guidance systems, scientific research, testing and strategic rocketry, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin also said Monday.

The centralisation may be taken a step further, with the Federal Space Agency, Russia's analogue of NASA, transformed into a state corporation that would replace the prospective holdings, Popovkin said.

The government considered creating a single "space corporation" for three years before deeming the idea ineffective, said Rogozin, who oversees defence and space industries.

But Popovkin said the idea may be revitalised depending on the performance of the upcoming holdings.