A Russian Reusable Nuclear Rocket?

[Jack Hays]

This would be a game-changer if it's real. The US abandoned nuclear rocketry years ago.


“Russia will Shape the Future of Spaceflight”: Announces Nuclear Powered Reusable Rocket Programme

Guest essay by Eric Worrall Russia has just raised the stakes in the space race, by going public with a reusable commercial nuclear powered launch vehicle which has been under development for the last decade. Russia says it’s going to beat Elon Musk and SpaceX’s ‘old tech’ with a nuclear rocket Mike Wehner @MikeWehner November…
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Russia says it’s going to beat Elon Musk and SpaceX’s ‘old tech’ with a nuclear rocket
Mike Wehner @MikeWehner
November 14th, 2018 at 2:36 PM
Elon Musk and SpaceX won’t be leading the reusable rocket space race long, at least not if Russia has anything to say about it. Russia’s Keldysh Research Center has been working on a reusable rocket solution for nearly a decade now, and now it’s ramping up the hype with a new concept video showing how its spacecraft works.
Speaking with reporters, Vladimir Koshlakov explained that Elon Musk and SpaceX pose no real threat to the group’s plans. Musk, Koshlakov says, is relying on technology that will soon be antiquated, while Russia is looking towards shaping the future of spaceflight.
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[FONT=&quot]Read more: https://bgr.com/2018/11/14/russia-nuke-rocket-spacex-rocket/[/FONT]

 

[joko104]

It appears many Russians and some others believe that what is produced by video graphics is reality. :roll:

 

[Oborosen]

This would be a game-changer if it's real. The US abandoned nuclear rocketry years ago.

[FONT=&][/FONT]
“Russia will Shape the Future of Spaceflight”: Announces Nuclear Powered Reusable Rocket Programme

[FONT=&]Guest essay by Eric Worrall Russia has just raised the stakes in the space race, by going public with a reusable commercial nuclear powered launch vehicle which has been under development for the last decade. Russia says it’s going to beat Elon Musk and SpaceX’s ‘old tech’ with a nuclear rocket Mike Wehner @MikeWehner November…
Continue reading →

[/FONT]

Russia says it’s going to beat Elon Musk and SpaceX’s ‘old tech’ with a nuclear rocket
Mike Wehner @MikeWehner
November 14th, 2018 at 2:36 PM
Elon Musk and SpaceX won’t be leading the reusable rocket space race long, at least not if Russia has anything to say about it. Russia’s Keldysh Research Center has been working on a reusable rocket solution for nearly a decade now, and now it’s ramping up the hype with a new concept video showing how its spacecraft works.
Speaking with reporters, Vladimir Koshlakov explained that Elon Musk and SpaceX pose no real threat to the group’s plans. Musk, Koshlakov says, is relying on technology that will soon be antiquated, while Russia is looking towards shaping the future of spaceflight.
…

…
​

[FONT="]Read more: https://bgr.com/2018/11/14/russia-nuke-rocket-spacex-rocket/[/FONT]


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Both interesting and terrifying.

Please test this somewhere else other then earth.

 

[Bum]

The article is big on boast, and sparse on detail......sounds a bit more like the old soviet we all knew and loved.

Nuclear engines are not new; but making it small and safe enough to be mated to a reliable flight platform is another beast completely......I have serious doubts about a 48 hour mission turnaround.

 

[Tangmo]

Words for Putin to consider as his economy takes a new nosedive due to massive capital flight in 2018...

“Space exploration is a captivating passion that many folks have – they are not necessarily motivated by profit,” said Heister. “In our business, we joke that the best way to become a millionaire in the space propulsion industry is to start out as a billionaire.”

The 34 million mile long game...

NASA Is Bringing Back Nuclear-Powered Rockets to Get to Mars

February 15, 2018

Last year, NASA partnered with BWXT Nuclear Energy Inc. for an $18.8 million contract to design a reactor and develop fuel for use in a nuclear-thermal propulsion engine for deep-space travel. While that small start is a long way from the the heady days of the Space Race of the Cold War, it marks the U.S. return to an idea that is also being pursued by Russia and China.

Unlike conventional rockets that burn fuel to create thrust, the atomic system uses the reactor to heat a propellant like liquid hydrogen, which then expands through a nozzle to power the craft.

That doubles the efficiency at which the rocket uses fuel, allowing for a “drastically smaller” craft and shorter transit time, said Stephen Heister, a professor at Purdue University’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “This factor is absolutely huge, especially for very difficult missions that necessitate a lot of propellant such as a Mars flight.”

NASA also has its eye on atomic technology to power human colonies once they get to Mars. The agency and the Department of Energy are developing a space-ready nuclear fission reactor, known as Kilopower, that could provide up to 10 kilowatts of power and be deployed on other planets and moons. NASA has employed radioisotope thermoelectric generators — batteries that run off the heat from radioactive materials — on previous space missions, including the Mars Curiosity rover.

NASA Is Bringing Back Nuclear-Powered Rockets to Get to Mars | Fortune