Sergei Korolev

space race · Soviet Union · rockets · engineering

Soviet Space Hero. Sergei Korolev was the chief designer behind the Soviet Union's greatest space achievements, including launching the first satellite Sputnik and sending the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into space in 1961.

Hidden Genius. During much of his career, Soviet officials kept Korolev's name secret from the world because they wanted to protect him and because the Soviet government wanted to seem more powerful by not depending on one person's fame.

Race to Space. Korolev competed fiercely with American engineers during the Space Race, and his early successes made the Soviet Union seem like the leader in space exploration for several years.

Design Brilliance. He designed elegant, practical rockets and spacecraft that could actually work in the harsh environment of space, solving problems that other engineers thought were impossible.

From Prisons to Stars. Korolev had a difficult life, spending years in Soviet prisons, but he never gave up on his dream of reaching space and became one of the most important engineers in human history.