MOSCOW, December 12. /TASS/. The Russian Federation has an edge in developing nuclear energy in space, namely with its project to create a nuclear tug, Yury Borisov, CEO of Russian state aerospace corporation Roscosmos, said.

"One of the real breakthrough projects for us is creating a nuclear-fueled transport-energy module. Currently, we have an advantage in this area," he said during a general meeting on the role of the Russian Academy of Sciences in advancing Russia’s scientific and technological development.

The Roscosmos CEO noted that the world is not sitting still and any delay would "quickly eat up" Russia’s advantage.

A contract for the development of a preliminary design of a nuclear-powered tug, to be used in deep space flights, was signed in December 2020 between Roscosmos and the Arsenal design bureau (part of the state corporation). The contract’s value is estimated at 4.17 billion rubles (over $46 mln). It is to be completed by July 28, 2024. The Russian Academy of Sciences’ space research institute (IKI) is in charge of planning this mission.