[1][2][3] Katorgin graduated from the Bauman Moscow State Technical University in 1958 and became Doctor of Technology in 1983.
He joined the NPO Energomash rocket engine manufacturer in 1958 and was its CEO and chief designer between 1991 and 2005.
As of 2000, when the first RD-180-powered Atlas III rocket flew, the engine was considered to be 15 to 20 percent more fuel-efficient than competing designs.
Katorgin has also contributed to the study of nuclear pulse propulsion, chemical lasers and superconducting systems for power transmission.
[2][4][5][6] In 2012, along with Valery Kostuk and Rodney John Allam, Katorgin received the Global Energy Prize for his research and development relating to high-efficiency and reliable cryogenic-fuel-powered rocket propellant engines.