Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was born in a small town near Kiev, Ukraine on January 12, 1907. His father, Pavel Korolev, separated from his family when Sergei was only three years old. His mother Maria Nikolayevna with little Sergei, moved to Nezhin, where he stayed with her parents. Right from these early years Sergei was very much fascinated by technology around him. Those were the early days of aviation and soon Korolev developed a passion towards it. By the time, his mother married Gregory Balanin-a technician- and his new stepfather was a constant source of encouragement for Sergei. After the Revolution, Korolev started associating with various aviation societies and designed glider planes. He made his first glider (which he called K-5) in 1924 when he was only seventeen years old. Korolev then joined the Aviation department of Kiev Polytechnic. He completed the course in 1926 and got admission to Bauman Technical School, where he designed and flew various glider planes. The light engine aircraft he designed for his graduation work under the guidance of his advisor, Andrei Tupolev, was test flown in 1930. With his colleague Lyushin, Korolev constructed the Koktebel glider, which won him much acclaim. Korolev married Xenia Vincentini on August 6, 1931. Marriage, however didn’t affect his dedication to the field he had chosen.

In between Korolev was strongly influenced by the writing of Konstantine Tsiolkovsky and he also started dreaming about space flight. In the 1930s, he became one of the first directors of the newly established scientific research and production organisation in rocket technology. In 1931 Korolev and Friedrich Tsander were appointed to Group for jet propulsion study (GIRD) and he became the head of the Group in May 1932.

An year later , he directed the launch of the first liquid propelled rocket in the Soviet Union, which was designed by Mikhail Tikhonravov . It was called GIRD-X and it flew to a height of 263 m. Korolev had already set his eyes on some thing grand and started to make the dreams of space flight into reality.

Then started the most dreadful period in Korolev’s life. His former boss Mikhail Tukhachevsky was accused of treason and was executed. Suspicion fell on those worked for Tukhachevsky as well. Korolev, along with many others, was arrested in 1938 and was sentenced to ten years imprisonment and his property was confiscated. He was sent to Kolyma, Siberia where he worked in a gold mine. But he was relieved from Kolyma abruptly in 1940, possibly due to the interference of the famous aircraft designer (and Korolev’s former teacher), Andrei Tupolev. He was moved to Tupolev’s secret design bureau,( such bureaus were called sharaga) still under custody. There he worked in the devolopment of bomber air crafts. Korolev’s ordeal finally ended in 1944 when he was discharged and his previous convictions were expunged.

Germany, mean while, under the leadership of Wernher von Braun built the famous V2 missiles-which the nazis used against the British during the later years of the second world war. Korolev was sent to Germany as a red army colonel to gather information about the German V2 missiles in 1946. Some German engineers were transported to Russia and combined efforts to build improved rockets started, under the supervision of Korolev.

In 1946, Korolev was appointed the Chief designer of the long range ballistic missile program and by 1950, he had additional responsibilities of heading a special design bureau, which later became famous as OKB-1 (Opytnoye Konstruktorskiye Bureau-which means experimental design bureau)

In the early fifties Korolev and his team started sending animals into upper atmosphere and they collected valuable biological data. In 1953, he was elected corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences and in 1956, he was awarded the country’s highest honours-the Order of Lenin and the title The Hero Of Socialist Labour. By this time serious works were going on the intercontinental Ballistic Missile, the R-7, which the Russians called semyorka. In 1957, it became the world’s first ICBM, when it successfully covered a distance of about 6400 km ,from Baikonur to Kamchatka penisula, carrying a dummy warhead. It had a core stage with four liquid strap ons. It together had 32 engines- 20 main and 12 vernier- and developed a combined thrust of over 500 tonnes. However, this rocket found limited use as an ICBM as it required extensive launch facilities and could not have made ready within short notice.

Korolev found another significant application for this. Now he had a rocket, powerful enough to send a satellite into space. Work started at furious space and the landmark was achieved in October 4, 1957. Sputnik send shock waves in America and Nikitha Khrushchev soon realized the propaganda value of space. He requested Korolev to produce greater successes.

Korolev’s design bureau, at that time worked on various projects including design and developments of manned space crafts, interplanetary probes, spy and communication satellites and ICBMs. These involved organising ability and management skill of gigantic proportions and Korolev had them plenty. He, at the same time, had to constantly convince the politicians about the value and importance of the work to get necessary funds.

He had great faith in the young generation of engineers and sometimes gave them responsibilities directly. He tried to keep close interaction with them and valued their opinion. Some of the reminiscences of his junior colleagues reveals how accessible he was even to the lowest level of working staff and he knew all the best workers of his bureau by name. He sometimes even by passed the middle level management and directly approached the workers and this produced outstanding results. Best workers were always rewarded, at the same time, Korolev was virtually ruthless to those who gave less than cent per cent.

Even during his hectic schedule, he frequently lectured in technical institutes, often sharing with the students sensitive information about some on going projects. He also made schemes for them to do their diploma work in his OKB. Then the best were absorbed.

The sixties saw spectacular achievements in the field of Rocketry and space travel, both by the American and Russians. But the initial round certainly belonged to the Russians. After the sputnik series which included the flight of a dog also, Soviets performed the first manned flight. Korolev personally supervised the flight and acted as the CAPCOM. This was followed by the flight of Voskhod series, which included the first space walk. At the same time Korolev was involved in the design of interplanetary probes, spy Satellites, communication satellites and ICBMs. He was in charge of the design of the N1 rocket which was supposed to beat the Americans to the moon. Though he managed all these mammoth assignments exceptionally well, his health was showing signs of fatigue and the harsh times he spent in Kolyma began to take it’s toll. His heart was weak and was constantly under medication. Korolev was aware of his frailing health. When somebody asked what was required to realize his space dreams, he replied-" time and health"

Korolev died on January 14, 1966 during an operation. Though the operation itself had been successful, his weak heart couldn’t stand the strain and gave away. He had just completed 59 years and was at the height of his creative life. Korolev was cremated and his ashes were interned in the Kremlin wall, the highest honour for a Soviet Citizen at that time.

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