Russian space tugboat "Zeus" Specialists of the "Research Center named after
Keldysh, which is part of the structure of Roscosmos, is actively developing and testing ion engines, which in the future will receive a domestic-designed space tug with a nuclear power plant on board.
According to the head of the center, Vladimir Koshlakov, the full testing of these engines has already been completed. At the same time, he noted the confirmation of the high specific parameters of ion engines, which will allow exploring remote planets and carrying out long-term missions over long distances, including flights to Mars . In fact, the ion engine is an electric rocket engine, or rather, its kind. It creates the necessary reactive thrust using ionized gas, which is pre-accelerated in an electric field to the required speed. In comparison with the well—known "chemical" engines, ion installations have less thrust, but are distinguished by low fuel consumption and increased duration of their work - according to calculations, they can work without stopping for several years. In addition, the center's engineers are also working on other elements that are part of the tugboat, also known as "Zeus". For example, a turbo generator that converts the heat generated by a nuclear installation into electrical energy. Recall that it was previously reported that a sample of the Zeus project, which will include a megawatt nuclear installation, is planned to be demonstrated in 2030 — Alexander Bloshenko, one of the top managers of Roscosmos, spoke about this in the spring of 2021.
Max Antonov
