[3] Prior to World War II it was known as the Reactive Scientific Research Institute (or Jet Propulsion Research Institute or shortly Jet Institute) or Research Institute for Jet Propulsion (commonly known by the joint initialism RNII; Russian: Реактивный научно-исследовательский институт, romanized: Reaktivnyy nauchno-issledovatel’skiy institut), and was responsible for the development of the Katyusha rocket launcher.

[4] Until 1991 it was known as the Scientific Research Institute of Thermal Processes (NII Thermal Processes, NIITP; НИИ тепловых процессов, НИИТП),[5] conducting research and development in the areas of electrophysics, space instrumentation, propulsion, and power units.

[4] Like other organizations formerly subordinate to the Soviet Ministry of General Machine Building, NIITP marketed its products through Obshchemashexport.

[4] It is now named after M. V. Keldysh, one of the key figures behind the Soviet space program.

It is a Federal State Unitary Enterprise that is part of the Russian Space Agency.