Aleksandr Leonovich Kemurdzhian[2][a] (Russian: Александр Леонович Кемурджиан;[5] 4 October 1921 – 25 February 2003) was a Soviet mechanical engineer who worked at the VNIITransmash institute for most of the second half of the 20th century.

[6] Kemurdzhian was born to Armenian parents[3][7] on 4 October 1921 in Vladikavkaz, today the capital of North Ossetia.

1901) were volunteers in the Russian Civil War with the 11th Red Army who happened to be in Vladikavkaz at the time of his birth.

[9] Served in the 162nd Infantry Division [ru] of the NKVD,[9] he participated in the battles of Kursk, the Dnieper, and the Vistula–Oder Offensive.

[9] Due to the disruption caused by the war, Kemurdzhian graduated from the department of tracked vehicles[10] of the Bauman Higher Technical College in 1951, some 11 years after enrolling.

[7] In total, Kemurdzhian authored 200 scientific publications (mostly papers, some six monographs)[5] and patented 50 inventions.

[9] Kemurdzhian was personally interested in spaceflight and "remote-controlled space probes,"[11] which was known to Sergei Korolev.

[14] In September 1963 Korolev met with VNIITransmash engineers to discuss the possibilities of developing lunar rovers.

[16] Georgy Babakin, director of OKB Lavochkin, and Kemurdzhian worked closely to design the Ye-8 in 1966.

[24] In November 2000 he was the chief speaker at the 30th anniversary of the Lunokhod meeting held at the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater.

[9][10] A minor planet discovered on 26 August 1976 by Nikolai Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory was named 5933 Kemurdzhian.

[9] Malenkov described him as follows: "A sharp mind, quick wit, and immediate response in all, including unexpected, situations; professionalism, encyclopedic erudition, commitment and hard work, multiplied by boundless energy; natural qualities of a leader of any assembly of people or experts, gathered by chance or by virtue of production relations; a charming conversationalist, a poet, and a great storyteller..."[24] In October 2021 the 100th anniversary of Kemurdzhian's birth was commemorated in Armenia with a conference and a postage stamp.