Russia, U.S. Could Collaborate on New Nuclear Rockets

Russia, U.S. may jointly develop spacecraft engines
RIA Novosti

Russia and the United States may soon reach an agreement on the joint development of new engines for spacecraft designed for exploration of deep space, a Russian deputy prime minister said.

Sergei Ivanov said on Monday during a U.S. visit that future exploration of outer space will require nuclear-powered engines for carrier rockets and spacecraft, and work on these costly development projects should start as soon as possible.

“A decision [on Russian-U.S. cooperation in this area] may be adopted soon, probably during the upcoming visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the United States,” Ivanov told reporters in Washington….

The Russian government allocated 500 million rubles ($16.7 million) in 2010 to start a project to build a spacecraft with a nuclear engine. NASA started a program to develop a nuclear propulsion system in 2003, and spent several hundred million dollars on the project before cutting it back.

The head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said in January that the draft design of spacecraft powered by a nuclear engine would be finalized by 2012, and the financing for further development in the next nine years would require an investment of at least 17 billion rubles (over $580 million).

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