Russia continues its propaganda belittling SpaceX, this time claiming its new nuclear-powered reusable rocket will obsolete the Falcon 9 fleet of reusable launch vehicles.
Vladimir Koshlakov, who heads the Russian Keldysh Research Center, reaffirmed his unit has been working on a reusable rocket for nearly a decade and will launch a spacecraft powered by this nuclear reactor in 2020.
In that year, Roscosmos (the Russian Federal Space Agency) plans to launch a spacecraft using nuclear-powered propulsion systems developed at the Keldysh Research Center. These systems include a small gas-cooled fission nuclear reactor generating 1 MWe.
A Federal State Unitary Enterprise that is part of Roscosmos, Keldysh Center now focuses its resources on developing nuclear propulsion systems for rockets voyaging into deep space. It is conducting research into spacecraft with more powerful engines -- nuclear power plants of a new class -- which do not need solar panels to generate power.
Nuclear reactors are quite useful in space because of their lower weight-to-capacity ratio compared to solar cells. Nuclear power systems also take up much less space than solar power systems.
Koshlakov also took time to diss Elon Musk and SpaceX. He said the American spaceflight firm poses no real threat to his center's plans. Koshlakov pointed out Musk relies on propulsion technologies that will soon be obsolete, whereas Russia is looking towards shaping the future of spaceflight by using nuclear-powered spacecraft.
He claims Russia's nuclear-powered launch vehicle will be able to make it to Mars seven months after launch. He also alleges the reusable rocket stages can be returned service in just 48 hours. It currently takes nine months to travel to Mars using combustion engine launch vehicles.
Reusability is the priority, said Koshlakov. He pointed out that Russia must develop engines that do not need to be fine-tuned or repaired more than once every 110 flights. He said that 48 hours after the rocket returns from space, the first stage must be ready to go again. "This is what the market demands."
Koshlakov's claims are extreme and even disrespectful given Russia doesn't even have a single operational reusable rocket. But Koshlakov went on to again hammer Musk and SpaceX.
Elon Musk is using the existing tech, "developed a long time ago," said Koshlakov. As a businessman, Musk took a solution that was already there and applied it successfully. Notably, Musk is also doing his work with help from the U.S. government.
Koshlakov said the first ground trials of the nuclear engine's cooling system were successful. Roscosmos revealed plans to test a megawatt-class nuclear engine meant for flights into deep space.
Energomash, Russia's rocket engine manufacturer, and S7 Space will build Russia's first reusable rocket. S7 Space is working on its own launch vehicle based on a sketch design of the Soyuz-5 launch vehicle being developed by the space rocket corporation Energia.
The first stage of Soyuz-5 will be reusable, like that of the Falcon 9. Energomash has designated the rocket, Soyuz-7, and Soyuz-7SL (Sea Launch).
