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Russia now seems to have a plan to launch an unmanned nuke powered tug, it will be nuclear powered for delivery of supplies and space equipment.
I'm not sure if this is an actual science exploration mission. Other reports say it seems be a new supply ship like its going to be a giant unmanned Soyuz/Proton or robotic like the Automated Transfer Vehicle or HTV from Japan, the US Private Sector now also launches an unmanned cargo craft with SpaceX . Russia also wants its own new Space Station away from the ISS and some kind of international Lunar Station - 'МНЛС - лунная станция ' ...maybe some kind of experimental new-project 'научные и экспериментальные' or support for a future manned mission?
It also has been presented in the media as a Nuclear Orbital Station or TEM (nuclear propulsion) I believe all of these could be the same mission concept but under different names
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TEM_(nuclear_propulsion)
' The first mission, named Zeus, is envisioned to operate for 50 months and deliver payloads to the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter through multiple gravity assists '
I believe they are beyond concept and study stage and now in the building stage, Transport and energy module of the Russian Tug is now under construction
Russia’s space agency Roscosmos has announced that it’s planning to send a nuclear-powered “space tug” as far as Jupiter in 2030.
According to state-owned news agency TASS, the mission of the uncrewed transport and energy module, dubbed “Zeus,” will last for about 50 months.
https://futurism.com/russia-nuclear-pow … ft-jupiter
Seems to be a plan for an Unmanned Mission, Russians to Develop Nucleon Complex to Fly to Jupiter. This complex can also be re-fueled, it will go to the Moon and Venus, will be used for flights to distant planets of the Solar system, its first mission is planned for 2030. The Russians say this century might be pivotal in the colonization of the other planets, especially the Moon. More announcements of such nature are expected to be released in Russian state media within a year.
https://hooktube.com/watch?v=kxEGiCiYKiA
https://ytprivate.com/watch?v=kxEGiCiYKiA
The NUKLON concept is basically JIMO on steroids, JIMO was a cancelled NASA mission which was going to have input from European scientists, the ESA have gone ahead with a Solar Powered mission and selected the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE). The wording of the mission concept calling it a space tug implies it would push or drag something.
A Russian nuke tug for long-range space mission ...almost 100 pages of thousands of posts in any of you read Russian.
https://forum.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/i … 18400.1940
Russia now seems to have a Nuclear Powered Mission to the Outer Planets.
Older Soviet Era Concepts during the 'Space Race'
http://www.russianspaceweb.com/spacecra … plans.html
The Cold War USSR Era of Space' However these studies did not go beyond very preliminary evaluations.'
'During the second half of the 1960 and beginning of the 1970s, Golovin's group put forward a number of ambitious proposals for unmanned missions to planets, including Mercury and Jupiter, along with the project of a manned expedition to Mars, a lunar base and a big orbital station in the Earth orbit. '
This SpaceTug is a new concept however.
https://www.iflscience.com/space/russia … is-decade/
More specifically, a "space tug” with a nuclear-based transport and energy module dubbed Zeus will head towards the Moon where a spacecraft will separate from it. It will then pass by Venus to perform a gravity assist maneuver and drop off another spacecraft, before venturing towards Jupiter and one of its satellites.
"Together with the Russian Academy of Sciences, we're are now making calculations about this flight’s ballistics and payload," Roscosmos Executive Director for Long-Term Programs and Science Alexander Bloshenko told reporters, according to TASS news agency.
Russia plans to launch a nuclear-powered spacecraft that can travel from the moon to Jupiter
https://news.yahoo.com/russia-plans-lau … 07699.html
It's "Zeus" module would advance those efforts by using a 500-kilowatt nuclear reactor to propel itself from one planet to the next, according to Russian state news agency Sputnik.
I tried to search if there was a topic on this but this is a new topic and its mostly new reports so I decided to make a new thread on new Russian nuclear concepts and future propulsion / transportation of goods and payloads.
Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2021-05-29 07:38:02)
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It's hard to tell from these stories, but it appears that Zeus will be a 500 KWe power supply that most likely runs electric propulsion. It's the electric propulsion space tug that so many have called for in these forums.
The Russians have a long history of nuclear-powered satellites. Most of these were nuclear-powered spy satellites, as part of the "Cosmos" series. The disposal was a high parking orbit out in the Van Allen radiation belts. Cosmos 954 failed to dispose correctly, and crashed in Canada in the 1970's. 1979 I think. Near Great Slave Lake, as I recall. The cleanup required was considerable, it being a plutonium reactor.
GW
GW Johnson
McGregor, Texas
"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew, especially one dead from a bad management decision"
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For Mars_B4_Moon re new topic and posts in general...
Best wishes for success with this interesting (and promising) new topic!
And thanks for bringing so many "ancient" topics back into view with your up-to-the-minute comments.
I've been enjoying seeing so many reminders of the many topics that have been created over 20+ years!
(th)
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The first flight has been scheduled for 2030.
https://tass.com/science/1292721
I think this mission could happen but we don't know for sure what the future will bring, I believe they are building parts of the spacecraft for testing
arstechnica website thinks 9 years is a long time so files it under "nyet likely to happen."
It's the electric propulsion space tug that so many have called for in these forums.
I hope it goes ahead it as would add a new element to space flight
Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2021-05-30 04:36:12)
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They do have the better ion drive engines but they have been lacking in a power source to really push a vehicle to great speeds if you have tons of fuel to make use of....
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The DoD Wants Companies to Build Nuclear Propulsion Systems for Deep Space Missions
https://interestingengineering.com/the- … e-missions
Sounds like a nuclear engine for deep space travel is being explored by the United States.
A call for proposals floated by the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) explains that the light and portable power systems must support propulsion and also power sensing and communication on the small- and medium-sized spacecraft.
Not sure where to put this one but U.S. Department of Defense wants something better than what others plan, I'm not sure it fits in the 'Space Force' discussion and there are other topics on Nuclear power on the Moon and Mars but don't really fit this topic.
The executive order signed towards the end of Donald Trump's term was mainly aimed at developing portable nuclear reactors that could power American bases abroad, however, it also stated that they could be further developed to power human habitats on other planets. Earlier this year, a nuclear fusion company also proposed the idea of using nuclear power to send missions to Mars.
The call from DIU explains that electric and solar-powered propulsion are unsuitable for missions beyond Earth's orbit. As we move towards a new generation of spacecraft, the space constraints will increase along with the demand for power as the new age spacecraft perform new capabilities in orbit. Although these technologies are in the making, the DIU wants to "adopt mature technologies in the near term", the press release read.
Listing desired capabilities, DIU said that the proposed solution must have a high-delta V (>10 km/s), heat spacecraft systems in shadowed environments, and have a lifetime above three years. Given that nuclear power comes with its own risks, the proposal specifically asked for technologies that minimized risk for ground staff during integration and the fuel to have feasible manufacturing capabilities along with minimizing ionizing radiation impacts on electronic components, integrated circuits, avionics.
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The War in Ukraine disrupts Russian-European space missions. Dmitry Rogozin had hyped the Tug on social media and interviews.
Russia has always been looking for some form of outside support. Unless they get funding from maybe India, Brazil, China it seems the Space-Tug might be nothing more than an expensive small scale model and an idea on a drawing board.
U.S. space companies poised to benefit as Russia cuts ties to industry, analyst says
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/21/us-spac … ytics.html
According to Science Times, NASA and the US Department of Energy issued a request for proposals for a nuclear power plant that may be built on the moon.
https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/3 … -s-how.htm
Also the site Interesting Engineering said China had created a concept for its own lunar-based nuclear reactor.
https://interestingengineering.com/chin … than-nasas
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said the Political Green type should relax and that nuclear power reactors deployed in orbit, whether on a moon colony or on a spaceship voyaging to Mars, would pose no threat to humanity.
https://thebulletin.org/2021/07/is-usin … e-of-both/
Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2022-03-21 14:52:36)
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