The influential leader of the Soviet Union during the Space Race was Nikita Khrushchev. He served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party from 1953 to 1964 and played a crucial role in the Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union for technological and scientific dominance. Under his leadership, the USSR achieved significant milestones, including launching Sputnik 1 in 1957, the first artificial satellite, and Yuri Gagarin's historic spaceflight in 1961, making him the first human in space. Khrushchev's policies and decisions greatly influenced the Space Race, pushing the Soviet space program to the forefront of global attention.