Russian Space Agency chief confirms plans to launch Nuclear space tug into Orbit by ’30

Moscow, April 21 (Sputnik) – Dmitry Rogozin, the chief of Russia’s Roscosmos, confirmed on Wednesday the agency’s plans to launch into orbit a new space tug with a nuclear propulsion system in 2030.
The state space agency first unveiled the project, dubbed Nuklon, early last year at a scientific conference, adding that batch production is expected to start after 2030, paving way for the commercial usage of the space tug.
“If we manage to put it into orbit in 2030, according to our plans, this will be a major breakthrough,” Rogozin said at a meeting at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Last July, the Roscosmos chief said that the country was rapidly developing the nuclear propulsion system for the space tug designed to be used during exploration missions to the outer reaches of the Solar System and beyond.
Under the project, the tug’s development is set to be completed by July 2024 and will cost 4.2 billion rubles ($54.6 million).