 | |
Native name | Ракетно-космический центр «Прогресс» |
|---|---|
| Company type | Joint-stock company |
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Predecessor |
|
| Founded | 12 April 1996 (1996-04-12) as TsSKB-Progress |
| Founder | Dmitri Kozlov |
| Headquarters | , Russia |
Key people | Dmitry Baranov (General Director) |
| Products | |
| Revenue | $593 million[1] (2017) |
| $26.5 million[1] (2017) | |
| $21.7 billion[1] (2017) | |
| Total assets | $1.69 billion[1] (2017) |
| Total equity | $488 million[1] (2017) |
Number of employees | 17,703  |
| Parent | Roscosmos[2] |
| Website | samspace |
Rocket and Space Centre "Progress" (Russian:Ракетно-Космический Центр «Прогресс»,romanized: Raketno-Kosmicheskiy Tsentr "Progress"), commonly known asRKTs Progress (Russian:РКЦ Прогресс), is a Russian joint-stock company underRoscosmos. It is responsible for building and operating theSoyuz family of rockets, which serve as the primary launch vehicles for the Russian space program.
The company traces its origins to the Soviet-era State Aviation Factory No. 1, established inSamara in 1941, which came to be known as "Progress." In 1974, the Central Specialized Design Bureau (TsSKB) was established to refine the R-7 rocket’s design. In 1996, these two entities merged to form the companyTsSKB-Progress.
The company traces its origins to theDux Factory, established in Moscow in 1894 as a small bicycle manufacturer. At the start of the 20th century, the Dux Factory transitioned from bicycles to producing cars and airships. By 1910, its focus shifted to aircraft manufacturing. During World War I, Dux supplied the Russian Army with various aircraft, including theMorane-Saulnier G,Voisin L,Voisin LAS,Nieuport 17,Nieuport 24, and several models from theFarman family (IV,VII, XVI, XXX). The factory also produced a significant number of military bicycles. By 1917, it had become one of the largest aircraft manufacturing centers in the Russian Empire.
After theOctober Revolution, the plant was nationalized and renamed State Aviation Factory No. 1 (GAZ No. 1). It continued producing Farman and Nieuport aircraft. In October 1941, duringWorld War II, GAZ No. 1 was evacuated from Moscow to Kuibyshev (nowSamara), near theVolga River. There, at the newly established "Progress" factory, workers producedIlyushin Il-2 andIl-10 aircraft alongside theMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3. By the end of the war, the factory had produced 11,863 Il-2s, 1,225 Il-10s, and 3,122 MiG-3s—averaging about 15 aircraft per day over four years.[3] Remarkably, one in six Soviet aircraft used in combat during the war was built at the Progress factory.[4] After the war ended, the Progress factory began manufacturing jet aircraft, starting with theMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9 andMiG-15 fighters in 1946. By 1954, it was producingTupolev Tu-16 bombers. In the post-war years, the factory also produced theMiG-17 fighter andIl-28 bomber.[4]
Meanwhile, theR-7 Semyorka, the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), was under development atOKB-1 inKaliningrad, a Sovietdesign bureau led by rocket pioneerSergei Korolev. Initially designed to deliver nuclear warheads to American targets, it was first successfully tested on 21 August 1957. These early prototype R-7 missiles were built at the OKB-1 facilities, but they were not suited to large-scale serial production. On 2 January 1958, the USSR Council of Ministers approved converting the Progress factory to mass-produce the R-7 missiles. Korolev dispatched his deputy,Dmitry Kozlov, to oversee the effort.[5] On 17 February 1959, the first R-7 missile produced at Progress was test fired.[4]
On 23 July 1959, OKB-1 established a branch office in Samara to focus on refining R-7 designs. Under Dmitry Kozlov’s leadership, this office evolved into the independent Central Specialized Design Bureau (TsSKB, Russian:Центральное Специализированное Конструкторское Бюро [ЦСКБ],romanized: Tsentral'noye Spetsializirovannoye Konstruktorskoye Byuro) in 1974. TsSKB and Progress collaborated on the design, development, and production of Soyuz rockets. In 1996, TsSKB and Progress merged to form TsSKB-Progress, later renamed Rocket and Space Centre "Progress" (RKTs Progress).[4]
The Progress factory has significantly contributed to the Soviet and Russian space programs. The rocket that launched Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, was built at the factory. Since 1961, all launches of Soviet and Russian crewed spacecraft have relied on Progress-built rockets.
The Soyuz launch vehicle, derived from the R-7 design, became the enterprise’s most renowned product. With ongoing upgrades, Soyuz rockets remain a reliable launch vehicle for crewed and uncrewed missions. TsSKB and Progress have built and developed several versions, including theSoyuz-U,Soyuz-U2,Molniya-M,Soyuz-FG,Soyuz-ST andSoyuz-2.1v. As of 2025[update], two versions remain in use: the medium-liftSoyuz-2.1a andSoyuz-2.1b. The company has also developed the retiredIkar and currently availableVolga upper stages.[4] Since the 1960s, the company has also developed various spacecraft, including theZenit,Bion,Foton, andResurs-P series.[6] In March 2024, the 1,000th spacecraft developed by RKTs Progress was launched into orbit.[7]
53°13′14.52″N50°18′04.32″E / 53.2207000°N 50.3012000°E /53.2207000; 50.3012000
