KOROLEV (Moscow region), October 26. Russian authorities will support the nuclear tug project, it will be implemented, said Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A nuclear tug based on a transport energy module has been developed in Russia since 2010. Earlier, former first deputy head of Roscosmos Yuri Urlichich, in one of his presentations, spoke about plans for the first flight into orbit in 2030 for flight testing. The nuclear tug will be designed for flights to the Moon and planets of the solar system. It was named «Zeus», and the research and development work itself is called «Nuklon».
«»Right now I just don’t know the details related to the planned financing, but we definitely won’t give up on this topic and will provide the necessary amount of money in order to the program was done. One hundred percent,” Putin said at a meeting with young specialists in the space industry, answering the question whether the state plans to support the transport energy module project.
The President noted that this propulsion system will be needed for space exploration and may be useful as a powerful source of energy in lunar programs.
““The exploration of deep space without this is probably simply unrealistic, impossible,” Putin said, adding that many partners are showing great interest in cooperation in this area.