Sergei Korolev, the "Chief Designer," was born on January 12, 1906 in Zhytomyr, Ukraine. He was born to Maria Mykolayivna Moskalenko and Pavel Yakovlevich Korolyov. The marriage was arranged and Maria and Pavel were unhappy in it. By the time Korolev was three years old, they had separated and divorced. He was told by his mother, Maria, that his father was dead. He never saw his father again.

Korolev grew up largely with his grandparents in Nezhin. His mother spent much time away from home pursuing a higher education and a career in Kiev. He was often lonely as a child and had few friends. He excelled in school and was greatly influenced by his grandfather, an electrical engineer.

While attending the Odessa Building Trades School for carpentry, Korolev developed an interest in aviation. He studied flight theory independently and joined a local glider club. He joined the Society of Aviation and Aerial Navigation of Ukraine and the Crimea (OAVUK), where he had his first flying lesson. In 1924, he designed a glider, which OAVUK accepted as a building project.

In 1924, Korolev attended the Kiev Polytechnic Institute because they had an aviation branch. Two years later, he was admitted to the Moscow N.E. Bauman Higher Technical School. By 1929, due to the communist party’s acceleration of engineering education, he received his diploma.

After graduating, Korolev worked for OPO-4, an aircraft design bureau. He became a lead engineer by 1930 and also earned his pilot’s license. Also in 1930, he married his longtime girlfriend, Xenia Vincentini.

In 1931, Korolev, interested in the possibilities of jet propelled aircraft, helped to start the Jet Propulsion Research Group (GIRD). He soon became the director of the group. After making several advances in jet propulsion, GIRD became the Jet Propulsion Research Institute (RNII).

In 1938, Korolev was arrested and accused of slowing research developments intentionally. He was sentenced to ten years in a Siberian gulag. Before a year of his sentence had passed, it was reduced and he was sent back to Moscow. Most other members of the RNII were executed.

During World War II, Koroleve worked on missile development for the military. In 1952, out of necessity, he joined the communist party. At this time, Korolev began pushing for research into space travel. After finally receiving approval to launch a satellite, he and his team developed and put Sputnik in to orbit in less than a month.

After launching the world’s first satellite, Korolev focused on reaching the moon. His attempts failed, but he was successful in helping Yuri Gagarin to become the first human to orbit the earth.

In 1960, Korolev suffered his first heart attack. From then on, his health declined severely. He died in 1966 after what was supposed to be a routine surgery.

Image: Sergey Korolyov at the Kapustin Yar firing range in 1953.