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Russia expects groundbreaking results from testing nuclear space tug elements in orbit

"Only a nuclear-powered space tug can become a transportation space system to propel large research stations or habitable orbital modules in the solar system and outside it," Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin noted

MOSCOW, August 26. /TASS/. The testing of a drip-type radiant cooler for the Zeus nuclear-powered space tug aboard the International Space Station (ISS) is an important direction of work for Russia’s federal space agency Roscosmos that may yield breakthrough results, its Chief Dmitry Rogozin said on Thursday.

Roscosmos intends to use the Zeus nuclear-powered space tug in the future to propel spacecraft to other planets.

"For us, this is a very important subject where we expect groundbreaking results. Only a nuclear-powered space tug can become a transportation space system to propel large research stations or habitable orbital modules in the solar system and outside it," the Roscosmos chief wrote on his Telegram channel.

CEO of the Roscosmos Keldysh Research Center Vladimir Koshlakov earlier told TASS that the federal space agency had plans to test a drip-type radiant cooler for the Zeus nuclear space tug aboard the orbital outpost in 2024-2025. The design documentation had been prepared and the Keldysh Center was now beginning to make mockups and scientific equipment for conducting the experiment in Russia’s latest Nauka multifunctional laboratory module docked to the ISS.