Valentin Glushko

Valentin Glushko was the premier rocket engine designer of the Soviet Union, responsible for the propulsion systems that powered nearly every major Soviet launch vehicle from the R-7 to Energia. His RD-107 and RD-108 engines launched Sputnik, Gagarin, and every Soyuz mission -- accumulating a flight record unmatched in rocketry. After decades as Korolev's rival, Glushko eventually led the Energia-Buran programme, the Soviet answer to the Space Shuttle, producing the most powerful rocket engine ever built, the RD-170.