Russia Moves Ahead on Angara, Nuclear Rockets
Angara rocket engine test
Russia is moving ahead on a range of space propulsion projects:
- Production of the Angara rocket could begin by the end of the year. Khrunichev Space Center’s Gennady Kleimenov told Interfax that engineers expect to complete test firings of Angara’s first and second stages in the third quarter. Financial issues that had delayed construction of an Angara launch pad at Plesetsk have been resolved.
- Interfax also quotes TSNIIMASh DG Gennady Raikunov as saying that Russia will develop will start developing super-heavy LV after 2018 and consider designing of reusable space vehicles.
- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev defined Keldysh R&D Center as a sole designer of the megawatt nuclear propulsion system. The Center will also coordinate all efforts under the project, effective by Decree № 419-рп of June 22, 2010.
2 responses to “Russia Moves Ahead on Angara, Nuclear Rockets”
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This is good news. Because about the only thing which will get the United States to consider nuclear rockets is to see Russia successfully heading that direction.
It’s nice to see Russia becoming more serious about it’s space program. If it weren’t for ISS Russia’s space program would be all but dead right now. I dunno about “pledging” to develop HLLV after 2018, but the president has been pretty involved with this nuclear propulsion system.
On a related note, I once got a chance to ask Michael Griffin why the US wasn’t doing something like this and his response was “Because we’re afraid of nuclear”