 When the two institutes combined, they brought together two of the most exceptional and successful engineers in the history of Soviet rocketry.Korolev teamed up with propulsion engineer Valentin Glushko, and together they excelled in the rocket industry, pushing the Soviet Union ahead of the United States in the space race.Instead of pursuing the RP-218, in 1935, Korolev and RN II began developing the SK-9, a simple wooden two-seat glider which was to be used for testing rocket engines.