Roscosmos and Kurchatov Institute sign cooperation agreement

The Roscosmos State Corporation and the Kurchatov Institute National Research Center (NRC) have signed an agreement on strategic cooperation in the implementation of the nuclear space program. This was reported in the press service of Roscosmos.

It is noted that the agreement was signed by Dmitry Bakanov, Director General of the Roscosmos State Corporation, and Mikhail Kovalchuk, President of the Kurchatov Institute Research Center. The main goal is to form scientific and technical foundations based on fundamental research and applied developments for the development of nuclear space technologies, as well as accelerated industrial development and market launch of such foundations.

"The signing of the agreement with the Kurchatov Institute Research and Development Center is a fundamentally important decision for Roscosmos. As part of the national project for the development of space activities, we are forming the federal project "Space Atom", a nuclear space program. It will be almost impossible to achieve this task without a scientific supervisor in the person of the Kurchatov Institute," Bakanov said.

The parties also agreed to establish a Joint Council for Strategic Development. He will ensure the interaction of the state corporation and the scientific center in the main areas of strategic cooperation. The Council consists of 10 people, five representatives from each organization; in addition, specialized experts are expected to be involved in the work of the structure. The Council will meet at least once every six months, alternately at the sites of Roscosmos and the Kurchatov Institute.

"Many decades ago, at the site of our institute, Igor Kurchatov, Sergey Korolev and Mstislav Keldysh signed an agreement on the development of nuclear energy for space. Our current successes in a number of areas are linked to making these right decisions. We have always been pioneers in the field of nuclear propulsion systems and nuclear power in space. Today's agreement will allow us to consolidate our technological leadership for many decades to come," Kovalchuk said.

Supported by the council: Kurchatov Institute and Rosatom united nuclear projects

How the new structure will help accelerate the country's scientific and technological development

Earlier, on February 11, Rosatom and the Kurchatov Institute Research Center signed a document on the establishment of a joint strategic council for closer cooperation in 13 scientific areas in the nuclear field. It was clarified that the cooperation will cover areas ranging from promising technologies in the development of nuclear energy and nuclear medicine to projects for Arctic and space exploration.