US May Sanction Roscosmos Companies To Prevent Rivalry From Russia In Deep Space - Agency

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th November, 2020) The United States is attempting to prevent Russia from creating a space tug fitted with a nuclear reactor for flights to deep space to limit competition, Deputy Chief of Russian State Space Corporation Roscosmos Sergey Dubik said on Monday while commenting on Washington's plans to impose sanctions on the agency's companies.

Earlier in November, Sputnik saw the draft document developed by US President Donald Trump's administration, according to which the key companies that are part of Roscosmos and nuclear energy agency Rosatom may be targeted by new US sanctions. The draft lists two institutes that are among Rosatom's leading nuclear weapons research centers as well as a research institute of Roscosmos and a manufacturer of space rocket technology.

"Our enterprise ... works with radioactive sources, which concerns our project, apparently, the space tug [project].

They [the US authorities] want to [disrupt] this project, taking into account the exploration of the moon. Only with the use of new sources, it be possible to reach deep space. And, as I understand it, they ... are trying to limit the competition," Dubik said while addressing the Federation Council, the parliament's upper house.

Russia has been developing a nuclear tug on the basis of the transport and energy module with a nuclear power installation since 2010.

This January, Roscosmos First Deputy Director General Yury Urlichich said that the agency intended to launch into orbit the new space tug with a nuclear propulsion system in 2030. After that, batch production is expected to start, paving way for the commercial usage of the space tug.