By the end of 2026, Russia will present a draft design of a new nuclear rocket engine for flights to the Moon and the implementation of long-range space missions. This was announced by the President of the NRC "Kurchatov Institute" Mikhail Kovalchuk.
He recalled that the Kurchatov Institute is responsible for the scientific management of the federal project "Space Atom".
According to the presentation accompanying Kovalchuk's speech, promising development work will take place until 2028, and the next stage of development is scheduled for the period 2028–2032.
A nuclear rocket engine is a power plant in which the energy generated during a nuclear fission or fusion reaction heats the working fluid.
The creation of an engine with a long flight life will open the door to travel to other planets.
The theme of space development is one of Russia's key themes. In 2025, scientists at the Moscow Aviation Institute developed a unique device that simulates the operation of an electric rocket engine of a spacecraft on Earth.
First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov stated that after the Moon, Venus will be the first planet that the country will begin to explore.
