Roscosmos build a spacecraft with a nuclear engine in 2025 – RSUTE

To the 2025th year will be created the first prototype spacecraft with a nuclear power plant.
Nuclear energy is considered a priority in the planning of large-scale international space missions, as some solar panels provide interplanetary manned missions planned in the distant future is impossible.

As part of the Federal Space Program till 2025 is created the first Russian spacecraft to nuclear unit.

The company “Rosatom” currently making innovative spacecraft that will work on the nuclear power propulsion system, which will allow the unit to provide the megawatt capacity in low-light solar panels. He shared that now managed to make a unique design of the fuel element and finish the testing of the reactor vessel future space unit. The head of the project department of communications of the state corporation “Rosatom” Andrei Ivanov indicated that all the work on the creation of nuclear engines tested according to the schedule.

The flight pattern of a spacecraft with a nuclear power plant (nuclear engines) Russia plans to create by 2025 . Relevant work incorporated in the draft of the Federal Space Program for 2016-2025 years (PCF-25), the Russian Space Agency directed to the ministries.

Create NPPU provided development work “nucleon” (budget of 15.84 billion rubles ), OCD “Source” (6.18 billion rubles), as well as research work “Verification” (300 million), research “Testing” (400 million) and R & D “core” (160 million rubles). Within the framework of the ROC “nucleon” envisages the creation of a space vehicle demonstrator with readiness for flight tests in 2025 (operations launch and flight testing project PCF-25 is not provided).

The nuclear power system as the key promising energy sources in space when planning large-scale interplanetary missions. Power-to the International Space Station – 110 kilowatts – is provided by solar panels of 17 to 70 m. In order to implement interplanetary manned missions to Mars, for example, will require much more serious power– some solar panels issue will not be solved. Ensure megawatt power in outer space in the future will allow the nuclear engines, the creation of which is now engaged in the enterprise of «Rosatom».

It was reported earlier that the 2017 Scientific Research and Design Institute for Energy Technology (NIKIET, the structure of “Rosatom”) plans build a nuclear reactor for the future of the motor. The prime contractor for the installation of the energodvigatelnoy is FSUE “Keldysh Research Center”. A transport module is going to build RSC “Energia».

In 2010, the project to create a nuclear engine for spacecraft was approved by the Presidential Commission for Modernization and Technological Development – a project called “Creation of transport and energy module based on nuclear energodvigatelnoy installation megawatt class. ” At the time the project allocated 17 billion rubles from the federal budget. In 2012, Vladimir Popovkin, head of Roscosmos while, explained that the prototype nuclear engine would allow to make a decision – it is time to create a flying prototype of the product. Popovkin balanced attitude to the idea of ​​using nuclear engines in space, noting that they will be in demand in the relatively distant future for missions into deep space.

All the work on the creation of nuclear engines go according to schedule. We can with certainty say that the work will be completed within the period specified target program, – says the project manager of the Communications Department of the state corporation “Rosatom” Andrei Ivanov. – Recently, the project completed two important steps: created a unique design of the fuel element, providing performance at high temperatures, large temperature gradients, high-dose radiation. Also successfully completed testing of the reactor vessel technology future space unit. In these tests the body subjected to excessive pressure and perform 3D-measurements in the zones of base metal, circular welded connection and the conical transition.

Work on the creation of nuclear engines for space vehicles is actively conducted in the Soviet Union and the United States in the last century: Americans shut down the project in 1994, the Soviet Union – in 1988. Closure work has greatly contributed to the Chernobyl disaster, which have a negative turn public opinion against the use of nuclear energy. In addition, tests of nuclear plants in space is not always cleanly: in 1978, the Soviet satellite “Cosmos-954″ entered the atmosphere and disintegrated, scattering thousands of radioactive fragments in an area of ​​100 thousand sq. M. km in the north-western regions of Canada. The Soviet Union paid Canada monetary compensation in the amount of more than $ 10 million.

In May 1988, the two organizations – the Federation of American Scientists and the Committee of Soviet Scientists for the world against the nuclear threat – made a joint proposal to ban the use of nuclear energy in space . Formal consequences of the proposal was not, however, since no country launch a spacecraft with nuclear power units on board.

Such projects as the creation of nuclear engines should be included in the context of a larger project to clearly understand what it is we are creating these powerful sources, – says Andrew, son of John, a member of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics Tsiolkovsky. – It is clear that nuclear engines are only needed for expeditions into deep space. Accordingly, before we start to build such an engine, it is necessary to determine the objectives – where and when we fly. -Context funding for such work is most often meaningless: today we are such a project open and will close tomorrow.

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