 | |
 A building with the Energia logo on it | |
Native name | Ракетно-космическая корпорация «Энергия» им. С. П. Королёва |
|---|---|
| Formerly | RSC Energia RKK "Energiya" NPO Energia TsKBEM OKB-1 |
| Company type | Public |
| Industry | Aerospace,defense |
| Founded | 26 August 1946; 79 years ago (1946-08-26)[1] |
| Founders | Sergei Korolev |
| Headquarters | , Russia |
Key people | Igor Maltsev (director general) |
| Revenue | US$726 million (2017)[2] |
| US$37.8 million (2017)[2] | |
| US$21.1 million (2017)[2] | |
| Total assets | US$1.97 billion (2017)[2] |
| Total equity | US$65.3 million (2017)[2] |
| Owner | United Rocket and Space Corporation (38.2%)[3] |
Number of employees | 7,791 (2017)  |
| Website | energia.ru/english |
S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation "Energia" (Russian:Ракетно-космическая корпорация «Энергия» им. С. П. Королёва,romanized: Raketno-kosmicheskaya korporatsiya «Energiya» imeni S. P. Korolyova), commonly known asRSC Energia, is a Russian aerospace manufacturer and spacecraft design bureau. Headquartered inKorolyov, Moscow Oblast, the company is the principal contractor for Russia'shuman spaceflight program, producing crewed and cargo spacecraft, space station modules, and satellite platforms.
Founded in 1946 asOKB-1 underSergei Korolev, the group was responsible for pioneering achievements in the Soviet and Russian space programs, including the launch of the first artificial satelliteSputnik 1 and the first human spaceflight,Vostok 1. Over subsequent decades it developed theSoyuz spacecraft, theProgress cargo vehicle, theEnergia heavy-lift launch system, and modules for theSalyut,Mir, and theInternational Space Station (ISS).
In the post-Soviet period the company was reorganized as RSC Energia in 1994, continuing its role as the lead contractor for Russia's crewed spaceflight activities. By the 2020s, however, the company faced mounting financial and organizational problems, culminating in 2025 when internal communications revealed severe debt, declining morale, and warnings of possible bankruptcy.[4]
The company traces its origins to August 1946, when the Soviet government established Experimental Design Bureau-1 (OKB-1) in today'sKorolyov, what was then calledKorolyov, Moscow Oblast| Kaliningrad, under the leadership of Sergei Korolev to develop long-range ballistic missiles. Korolev's team initially adapted GermanV-2 rocket technology into theR-1 and subsequently developed theR-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 launchedSputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, followed in April 1961 byVostok 1, carryingYuri Gagarin, the first human in space.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the bureau designed theVoskhod andSoyuz spacecraft, interplanetary probes to the Moon, Venus, and Mars, and the first Soviet space stations. TheSalyut programme pioneered long-duration missions, while OKB-1 developed modules, life-support systems, and docking technology.
In 1974, the bureau was reorganized as theNPO Energia design bureau, named for both its heavy-lift rocket project and its growing role in crewed spaceflight. It was a key contractor forMir, the first modular space station, launched in 1986.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the enterprise was reorganized as theRocket 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 theInternational Space Station.
The company also cooperated internationally, including withNASA onShuttle–Mir and later ISS operations. In 2011, Energia became a publicly traded joint-stock company under the management ofRoscosmos.
RSC Energia continues to develop crewed spacecraft, including modernization of Soyuz and Progress vehicles, and has proposed next-generation designs such as theOrel spacecraft. It manufactures modules for the Russian Orbital Segment of the ISS, such asRassvet,Poisk,Nauka, andPrichal.
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.[4] Before securing new international commercial contracts, they aim to maintain their partnership with the United States until 2030. Analysts noted that these financial difficulties in the future threatened Russia's human spaceflight program and capability, in which Energia serves as the primary contractor for Soyuz and ISS operations.[5]
RSC Energia is headquartered inKorolyov, Moscow Oblast, where it maintains design, assembly, and testing facilities. It also operates integration and launch support teams at theBaikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and theVostochny Cosmodrome in Russia.
RSC Energia remains the lead contractor for Russia's participation in the International Space Station and is developing theOrel spacecraft for future lunar and deep-space missions. The company also collaborates with Roscosmos and industry partners on commercial satellite platforms and next-generation orbital infrastructure.[6]
{{cite web}}:Missing or empty|title= (help)
Media related toS.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia at Wikimedia Commons