Who is known as the leading Soviet rocket scientist and the "Father of the Soviet Space Program"?

The leading Soviet rocket scientist and the "Father of the Soviet Space Program" is Sergei Korolev. He played a pivotal role in the development of the Soviet space program, which achieved numerous significant milestones during the Cold War era. Korolev's visionary leadership and engineering expertise led to the first human-made satellite, Sputnik, launched in 1957, and the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, in 1961. His contributions were essential in establishing the Soviet Union as a dominant force in space exploration. Korolev's work laid the foundational technologies for various space missions and ultimately shaped the direction of space science and exploration both in the Soviet Union and globally.