Soviet Union aerospace industry

The Soviet Union's aerospace industry was a major state-driven sector focused on developing aircraft, spacecraft, and missile technology. It played a key role in advancing space exploration, launching satellites, and sending humans into space, such as Yuri Gagarin in 1961. The industry involved designing and building military and civilian aircraft, as well as rockets for military and scientific purposes, often with centralized planning and heavy government investment. Despite technological gaps compared to the West, it achieved significant milestones, including the first artificial satellite and human spaceflight, shaping global aerospace developments during the Cold War era.