In 1951 to 1953 Korolev's design bureau had prepared an experimental trisonic ramjet design, the EKR.The expert commission ifelt that there were still many technical problems to be solved, most of which were better handled by an aircraft designer rather than Korolev. Further, Korolev had to place the highest priority on development of the R-7 ICBM. Therefore a final government decree on 20 May 1954 authorised the Lavochkin and Myasishchev aircraft design bureaux to proceed in parallel with full-scale development of trisonic intercontinental cruise missiles.

North American's rocket group begins the Rocket Engine Advancement Program, to identify improved rocket technology. One early conclusion was that the performance and logistics could be significantly improved by shifting from alcohol to kerosene fuel, using a new specification RP-1. The decision is made to change the propellants for the Navaho G-38 production version booster. The LR71 engine, modified to burn kerosene, would be designated LR83. This in turn was the basic engine that would power the Thor, Jupiter, Atlas, Saturn I, and Delta rockets into the next century.

Council of Soviet Ministers (SM) Decree 'On approval of work on themes T1 and T2, on approval of work on the R-5, R-11, and EKR missiles, and on transferring draft project work for the R-12 from NII-88 to SKB-586' was issued. The decree set forth three phases of state trials tests for the R-5 missile.

Unsuccessful. First Phase I trials launch of the 8 remaining rockets of the first production lot were fired, of which 6 reached the target area. The first launch was on 15 March 1953. The first successful flight was on 2 April 1953. The first full range flight came on 19 April 1953.

Massive problems were encountered in the difficult test series - with poor-quality kerosene fuel, handling and leakage of the propellants, and reliable start of the engine. But the Red Army saw much more promise in the design than in Korolev's cumbersome liquid oxygen rockets.

The crane dropped the aircraft at Edwards; but the damage could be repaired there. The autopilot and radio control systems had already been verified at Edwards in flights conducted with F-86D fighters and a QF-80 drone aircraft since December. An ET-33 flight control aircraft had been modified to control the X-10 in flight.

During a Bell captive-carry flight test over Lake Ontario, X-2 number 46-675 suddenly exploded, killing Bell test pilot Jean Ziegler and observer Frank Wolko. The EB-50A mothership managed to land, although damaged. Only after several other mysterious X-plane losses was the cause found to be a rocket engine gasket made of Ulmer leather, which decomposed and became explosively unstable after sustained exposure to liquid oxygen.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory completed development of the Corporal I, the first U.S. surface-to-surface ballistic missile, and continued with Corporal II development. Army Ordnance also asked JPL to study application of large-scale solid propellant rockets for use as surface-to-surface guided missiles.

The first production rocket was rolled out at Dnepropetrovsk (only six months after the first all-Dnepropetrovsk R-1). Following receipt of production missiles, divisions were deployed to Zhitomir; Kolomoaya; Medved, Novgorod oblast; Kamyshin, Volgograd oblast; Shyalya, Lithuania; Dzhambul, Kazakhstan; and Ordzhonikidze, in the Far East.

Preliminary studies were completed by C. E. Brown, W. J. O'Sullivan, Jr., and C. H. Zimmerman at the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory relative to the study of the problems of manned space flight and a suggested test vehicle to investigate these problems. One of the possibilities considered from the outset of the effort in mid-1952 was modification of the X-2 airplane to attain greater speeds and altitudes of the order of 200,000 feet. It was believed that such a vehicle could not only resolve some of the aerodynamic heating problems, but also that the altitude objective would provide an environment with a minimum atmospheric density, representing many problems of outer space flight. However, there was already a feeling among many NACA scientists that the speed and altitude exploratory area should be raised. In fact, a resolution to this effect, presented as early as July 1952, stated that '. . . the NACA devote . . . effort to problems of unmanned and manned flights at altitudes from 50 miles to infinity and at speeds from mach 10 to the velocity of escape from the earth's gravity.' The Executive Committee of NACA actually adopted this resolution as an objective on July 14, 1952.

Main landing gear doors failed to close; ground control of aircraft lost (ET-33 aircraft took over control of the X-10); main gear failed to lock on contact with runway; pilot drag chute deployed late; brake failure caused damage to two tires. But the drone was recovered.

Khrushchev desired to decentralise the missile industry, since a single nuclear bomb on Moscow would wipe out Korolev's factories. Ustinov was requested to draw up a plan for two additional completely independent missile design bureaux, one in the south of the Soviet Union, the other in the Urals. It was also envisioned a third bureau would be built in the east, in Siberia, but this was never done. This effort cost tens of billions of roubles. While the managers and lead technical staff would be taken from Korolev's bureau, the working engineers, technicians, and workers for the bureau and associated factories would be recruited locally at each site. This would avoid the additional expense of building extra housing. Korolev fought to keep control, wanting to make the new bureaux just branches of his own, but Khrushchev was adamant that only completely autonomous organisations would be acceptable. Yangel was easily selected for the southern bureau, and the young Makeyev was a more contentious selection for the Ural bureau.

A government decree was issued for SKB-385 in the Urals to be responsible for series production of the R-11 and its S2.253 engine. SKB-385 had not distinguished itself in 1949-1951 when it was responsible for the first abortive attempt to put the R-1 rocket into production.