Russia may offer Elon Musk its nuclear power for Mars mission

This is reported by The Moscow Times.

“Russia could offer a compact nuclear power plant for the Mars mission and other advanced technological capabilities,” he said.

Dmitriev, who is also Putin’s special representative for international cooperation, has repeatedly expressed the interest of Roscosmos and Rosatom in working jointly with the head of the private American company SpaceX, Elon Musk. According to him, Russian corporations “could assist, particularly in the Mars flight,” and potential negotiations regarding this may take place soon.

“We believe that Russia has a lot to offer for the Mars mission, as we have some nuclear technologies that, I think, could be applicable,” Dmitriev previously claimed.

Elon Musk, the founder of SpaceX, had earlier announced plans to send the Starship spacecraft to Mars by the end of next year, with the humanoid robot Optimus on board. He also suggested that a human landing on the Red Planet could become a reality as early as 2029, although 2031 seems more likely.

• Previously, Kirill Dmitriev, special representative of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, proposed a joint Russian-American expedition to Mars in 2029 to billionaire Elon Musk.
• It is worth noting that Dmitriev wrote the relevant message in response to a post by Elon Musk, in which he announced the launch of the Starship rocket to Mars by the end of 2026.