Russian space agency Roscosmos has announced its plan to send a nuclear-powered “space tug” to Jupiter by 2030. As per a report from state-owned news agency TASS, the mission will with an energy module called “Zeus” will aim to last around 50 months.
“Together with the Russian Academy of Sciences, were are now making calculations about this flight’s ballistics and payload,” said Roscosmos executive director for long-term programs and science Alexander Bloshenko.
Significant time cut in space travel
The new announcement aligns with Russia’s ambitious deep space exploration, which has many missions lined up between now and the end of this decade. Russia is also planning to build its own space station and land a probe on the South Pole of the Moon by the end of 2021.
Speaking of the space tug, it will pack a 500-kilowatt nuclear reactor that will weigh up to 22 tonnes, as per state-owned news publication Sputnik. Bloshenko also shed light on Zeus’ journey saying it will first travel to the Moon, where it will deploy a spacecraft meant to go to Venus. It will use Venus’ gravity as a sling to deliver another spacecraft that will embark on a long journey to the gas giant Jupiter.
A nuclear-powered spacecraft could help cut down the time of long trips in deep space. Current spacecraft use chemical propellants, solar energy, and gravity to accelerate. With existing tech, a round-trip to Mars could take around 3 years, while a nuclear-powered spacecraft could trim that time to 2 years, NASA suggests.
NASA also betting on nuclear energy
Russia is not alone in betting on nuclear energy for space exploration. NASA is also working on a nuclear plant that will be established in deep space, most likely on the lunar surface.
“Once the technology is proven through the demonstration, future systems could be scaled up or multiple units could be used together for long-duration missions to the moon and eventually Mars,” Anthony Calomino, NASA’s nuclear technology portfolio lead, told CNBC.
“The ability to produce large amounts of electrical power on planetary surfaces using a fission surface power system would enable large-scale exploration, establishment of human outposts, and utilization of in situ resources,” he added.
