• By the USSR Council of Ministers act № 1017-419 13.05.1946, R&D Institute 885 (NII-885) was created from the USSR PCoD Factory № 1.
• The NII-885  by the Act № 024 25.06.1966 was reformed to Equipment R&D Institute (NIIP) .
• 11 December 1991 NIIP was renamed to Russian Space Equipment R&D Institute (RNII KP).
• 13 April 1998 RNII KP was renamed to Federal Unitary Enterprise "Russian Space Equipment R&D Institute" (FGUP "RNII KP").
• 23 October 2009 FGUP "RNII KP" was restructured into the JSC "Russian Space Systems".
• According to the Russian Federation Civil Code, from 23 October 2009, JSC "Russian Space Systems" by universal legal succession acquired all rights and responsibilities of the FGUP "RNII KP", including any and all contracts and agreements.

---

Institute's establishment and specialization (1946–1957)

Due to USA nuclear threat, USSR took extraordinary measures to achieve strategic parity with possible adversary. Creation of nuclear weapons raised the issue of their reliable delivery means.

The fulcrum point in this issue's solution was he historic Decree Council of Ministers of the USSR dated 13 may 1946 that defined the start of long range missile weapons creation. This date highlights the formation of NII-885 as principal rocket control systems enterprise ("Nauchno-issledovatelskiy institut c proektno-konstruktorskim buro po radio i electropriboram upravleniya dalnoboinini i zenitnymi reaktivnimy snaryadami", "Scientific research institute with design and construction office for radio and electric equipment for long-range and antiaircraft missiles control").

Subsequently, the institute was renamed multiple times: Nauchno-issledovatelskiy institut specialnoi tekhniki (Special machinery scientific research institute, NII ST), POB 2427 enterprise, POB G-4149 enterprise, NIIP (Scientific research institute for instrument building) and, finally, FGUP "RNII KP" (Federal Unitary Enterprise "Russian scientific research institute of space instrument engineering").

In February of 1942, part of "Krasnaya Zarya" ("Red Sunrise") factory from Leningrad was evacuated into abandoned ZATEM Moscow factory territory located near future NII-885 with personnel, equipment and documents. It was used to establish the Factory No. 1 of People's Commissariat of Defense. "Krasnaya Zarya" factory was distinguished by best industrial practices, exceptional production quality, and engineering personnel expertise. These qualities were preserved and enhanced by the time the Factory No. 1 became NII-885's pilot factory (1947), and its design office was absorbed into the institute.

Since May 1946, specialists from other organizations started being transferred to NII-885. Primarily, best personnel from NII-20 formed the institute's research and development core, special office SB-10 of radio factory No. 528 specialists, "Elektrochermet" ("Electric ferrous materials") trust and PKB-886.

Several years later, due to increase in scope of work, several independent organizations with different profiles were separated from NII-885:

• SKB-245 – mechanic computers development (1952);
• NII-648 – glide rocket control development (1952);
• PKB-886 – radio detonators development (1953);
• SKB-567 – telemetry measurements systems development (1952).

Therefore, in 1952, after restructuring and personnel rearrangements, institute's primary scope was clearly defined. It had two main complex departments created within. Complex 1 was headed by chief designer of autonomous control systems, chief engineer of the institute N. A. Pilyugin. Complex 2 was headed by chief designer of radio control systems, institute director M. S. Ryazanskiy.

They were members of the famous six-people chief designers Council created by S. P. Korolyov. The Council and its chairman hold the great merit of establishing modern rocket construction and practical cosmonautics as science and technology fields.

Most important problems during that time were providing qualified personnel for the institute, building of production laboratories, production development simultaneous with increase in designs and their implementation.

As a result, institute has developed R-5 strategic missile (1956) and R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile control systems, forming the basis for the country's nuclear missile shield.

R-7 missile allowed the humanity's long time dream to become reality, to deploy into orbit the first Earth's artificial satellite in 1957, starting the space era.

Space focus development (1958–1989)

After first Earth's artificial satellite launch, institute took active part in government space exploration programs, implementing country's priority tasks in this field.

Thanks to the inertial methods advancements, autonomous systems achieved the ICBM precision level making radio control systems for ballistic missiles obsolete. This became the technologic ground for institute's restructure and focus shift.

In summer of 1963, government decision creating two large institutes based on NII-885, SKB-567 and NII-944 was made: NIIP (chief designer and director M. S. Ryazanskiy) and NII AP (chief designer and director N. A. Pilyugin).

At the same time, NIIP acquired all research in space and telemetry performed in SKB-567, including space television systems, ground-based and shipborne telemetry facilities network, as well as the established by SKB-567 Western long range space communication center with large ADU-1000 aerials in Eupatoria.

Institute's pilot factory No. 1 as well as prototype production facilities was transferred to NII AP. "Radiopribor" ("Radio equipment") factory was tasked with institute's pilot factory functions. Due to the conglomeration, institute became a multifocus enterprise, significantly self-sufficient to be able on its own to design and produce onboard and ground-based equipment, integrating it into complexes and systems optimally. These factors always attracted customers and played a major positive part in the future.

As a result of implementing ambitious space and rocket programs, institute occupied dominant positions in radiotechnic and optoelectric systems desing for following focus areas:

• Moon exploration;
• manned flight programs;
• deep space exploration;
• space communications;
• space navigation and geodesy systems;
• ground-based spacecraft control infrastructure development;
• space television systems;
• laser systems;
• Earth's remote sensing systems.

The workload was increasing every year and institute started finding it difficult to complete assigned orders. It required institute structure and management system overhaul, manufacture expansion, new technologies implementation and capital construction advancement. It was necessary to facilitate residential construction for personnel and social infrastructure development.

These tasks became a responsibility of L. I. Gusev, new institute's director assigned to the position in 1965. Institute's chief designer M. S. Ryazanskiy, simultaneously reassigned to science deputy director, focused on scientific and technical equipment design issues.

Institute had focused and specialized departments gradually created within it, and design engineering while centralized. In 1976, automated control system (ACS) and radio equipment computer-aided design system (CAD) developed in the institute were put in service, becoming the industry exemplar.

For optimal order processing, experimental production was recreated and prototype production was overhauled.

At different times, within or based on the institute the following organizations were established:

• NII of precision equipment construction (Moscow) – laser equipment;
• NII of space equipment construction (Moscow) – international cooperation;
• NII "Orion" (Golitsino) – ground-based spacecraft control systems;
• NII "Opyt" (Belgorod) – computation systems;
• TashNIIP (Tashkent) – notification systems;
• "Sirius" organization (Kitab) – equipment field testing;
• "Antares" organization (Troitsk) –equipment rig testing;
• Kostroma radio equipment factory (Kostroma);
• Baku branch of NPO "Radiopribor" ("Radio equipment") with pilot factory (Baku).

Present time

Since 2001, institute is headed by the general director, and since 2004, general director and chief designer Y. M. Urlichich. Based mostly on economic management methods, the management was able to overcome negative trends in the institute, to significantly increase salaries in short period of time, to pay off debts. Most importantly, though, the scope of work was expanded, and in many of the established fields, the institute took leading place in the industry and in country. All this has significantly increased its prestige.

Institute became the leading enterprise in sixteen scientific and design areas, systems and programs. It has over 4000 employees, whose average age went down to 46. Salaries have increased significantly, which caused more recent graduates to apply. Institute structure became more efficient, adapted to new work conditions.

Besides departments focused on primary activity areas, the following research and development centers and branches were created:

• Components and equipment certification research center;
• Think tank;
• Earth's remote sensing spacecraft detailed data planning, reception, processing and recording center;
• Multi-purpose navigation information center;
• Roskosmos radio frequency center;
• System monitoring and mission control research and development center;
• Coordination, development and utilization of dedicated systems research and development center;
• Ground-based control complexes and systems design, upgrade, bringing into service and operation coordination center;
• Components and materials procurement center;
• Innovation center;
• Ground-based complexes and promising spacecraft control technologies development center;
• Own production equipment, complexes, systems and products testing scientific production center;
• Program coordination technical research center;
• Earth's space monitoring scientific development center;
• Ultra-large scale circuit board production industry expertise center (design center).

The abovementioned business units' purpose is increase in institute's leadership efficiency in research and technology fields it dominates. They are intended to facilitate in-service and developed complexes and systems operators function now and in the future.

Institute negotiates creation of joint ventures with foreign space programs partners.