Russia Proposes to build Nuclear Powered Spaceship

Russia should build a new spaceship with a nuclear engine, the country's space chief has proposed, promising that it would give Russia an edge in the space race.

President Dmitry Medvedev hailed the plan and ordered the Cabinet to find the money for it, but environmentalists expressed concern.

Federal Space Agency chief Anatoly Perminov told a government meeting that the preliminary design could be ready by 2012, but it would then take nine more years and 17 billion rubles (£353 million) to build the ship.

"The implementation of this project will allow us to reach a new technological level surpassing foreign developments," Mr Perminov told a meeting on communications and space technologies. "It's a very serious project," added Mr Medvedev, who chaired the meeting. "We need to find the money."

Mr Perminov's ambitious statement contrasted with the current state of the Russian space programme, sounding more like a plea for extra government funds than a detailed proposal.

Russia is using 40-year-old Soyuz booster rockets and capsules to send crews to the International Space Station. Development of a replacement rocket and a prospective spaceship with a conventional propellant has dragged on with no end in sight.

While Russia has been slow to develop a replacement for its old workhorse Soyuz, it stands to take a greater role in space exploration in the coming years. Nasa's plan to retire its shuttle fleet next year will force the United States and other nations to rely on the Russian spacecraft to ferry their astronauts to the International Space Station and back to Earth until Nasa's new manned ship becomes available.

Mr Perminov described the proposed nuclear-powered spaceship as a "unique breakthrough project," but offered few details.