Origins and early achievements The company traces its origins to August 1946, when the Soviet government established Experimental Design Bureau-1 (OKB-1) in today's
Korolyov, what was then called Korolyov, Moscow Oblast| Kaliningrad, under the leadership of Sergei Korolev to develop long-range ballistic missiles. Korolev's team initially adapted German
V-2 rocket technology into the
R-1 and subsequently developed the
R-7 Semyorka, the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile. The R-7 became the basis for the Soviet space program. On 4 October 1957, OKB-1 launched
Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, followed in April 1961 by
Vostok 1, carrying
Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space.
Expansion and new spacecraft During the 1960s and 1970s, the bureau designed the
Voskhod and
Soyuz spacecraft, interplanetary probes to the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and the first Soviet space stations. The
Salyut programme pioneered long-duration missions, while OKB-1 developed modules, life-support systems, and docking technology. In 1974, the bureau was reorganized as the
NPO Energia design bureau, named for both its heavy-lift rocket project and its growing role in crewed spaceflight. It was a key contractor for
Mir, the first modular space station, launched in 1986.
Post-Soviet restructuring After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the enterprise was reorganized as the
Rocket and Space Corporation Energia in 1994. Despite budget cuts in the 1990s, it remained central to Russia's human spaceflight program. Energia managed the production of Soyuz and Progress spacecraft, which became essential for sustaining crews aboard the
International Space Station. The company also cooperated internationally, including with
NASA on
Shuttle–Mir and later ISS operations. In 2011, Energia became a publicly traded joint-stock company under the management of
Roscosmos.
Recent developments RSC Energia continues to develop crewed spacecraft, including modernization of Soyuz and Progress vehicles, and has proposed next-generation designs such as the
Orel spacecraft. It manufactures modules for the Russian Orbital Segment of the ISS, such as
Rassvet,
Poisk,
Nauka, and
Prichal. By the mid-2020s, RSC Energia faced growing challenges from aging infrastructure, missed deadlines, and rising debts. The company is highly dependent on international clients, and this revenue stream has declined since the launch of the new spacecraft in the West, and the war against Ukraine has only accelerated the depletion. In August 2025, internal communications from CEO Igor Maltsev acknowledged greatest crisis since its founding, "multi-million-dollar debts," declining workforce morale, and the risk of collapse if reforms were not enacted. == Facilities ==