The countries around the globe are striving to be the first to build a base on the Red planet.
Specialists from the Arsenal Design Bureau, a subsidiary of Russia’s Roscosmos space agency specialising in the production of spacecraft, satellites, and other space technologies, have proposed creating a nuclear power plant for a future Russian Mars base, Sputnik reported.
The Arsenal Design Bureau suggests using technologies developed from the interplanetary space tug Zeus for a stationary nuclear reactor on Mars.
The colossal space tug is intended to support a nuclear-powered electric propulsion system to deliver payloads throughout the solar system. Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin recommended that Zeus could go to other planets as well for signs of life, including Jupiter. Russia is eager to embark on flight-testing around 2030.
Under Arsenal’s proposal, an independent power station would be sent to Mars aboard Zeus and then floated down to the surface using a parachute system. After docking, the power plant would be activated to provide energy to the Russian Martian base.
Russia has recently confirmed the launch of a Russian space station, crewed and uncrewed missions to the Moon, and the construction of a Moon base in collaboration with China. However, compared to NASA’s space budget, Russia has spent less than a tenth on its space projects. Nevertheless, the country has declared big space exploration plans for the next ten years, let’s see how they will achieve them. Only time will tell!
Still, there’s a lot to be done on Russia’s part before it plans on sending a nuclear-powered space tug to deliver a nuclear power station on the Red plane and build a crewed base there.
As the famous proverb goes, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” and with the right determination and will, the country might accomplish its goals.