MOSCOW, April 9. /TASS/. Russia’s Roscosmos, together with the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center and Rosatom, plans to implement a project to resume nuclear rocket engine research, said Denis Kutovoy, deputy director of the corporation’s space systems department.
"We have a project that we plan to implement jointly with the Kurchatov Institute and organizations of the Rosatom State Corporation: resuming nuclear rocket engine research," Kutovoy said, answering questions at the Russian Space Forum.
On April 7, at a meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) entitled Space as a Source of Scientific Knowledge, Progress, and Cooperation, President of the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center Mikhail Kovalchuk said that the design concept for a nuclear rocket engine for lunar flights and deep space missions would be completed in 2026. According to the slide accompanying Kovalchuk’s presentation, the design concept for a nuclear rocket engine will be completed in 2026, and advanced experimental design work is planned for 2028-2032.
About forum
The first Russian Space Forum is being held at the National Center RUSSIA on April 9 as part of Space Week 2026. Delegations from 40 countries are participating in the event. The forum will feature 13 sessions across five thematic blocks, as well as a plenary session entitled Space Agenda 2030+: Global Challenges and National Strategies with the participation of international partners.
Space Week 2026 is dedicated to the 65th anniversary of Yury Gagarin’s legendary flight. The first-ever Russian Space Week is taking place from April 6 to 12, 2026. The decree establishing this annual event was signed by the Russian president on December 29, 2025. Roscosmos is the organizer.
TASS is the media sponsor of Space Week 2026.