Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (January 12, 1907 – January 14, 1966) was a Soviet rocket engineer and the chief designer of the Soviet space program. He is often called the father of the Soviet space program. Korolev oversaw the development of the R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile, which became the basis for the Sputnik launch vehicle that sent the first artificial satellite into orbit in 1957. He also led the Vostok program that achieved the first human spaceflight by Yuri Gagarin in 1961. His work was instrumental in the early successes of the Space Race, though his identity remained classified until after his death.
