In a surprising development that signals a potential thaw in US-Russia relations, a top aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin has revealed that Moscow is willing to support Elon Musk’s ambitious Mars mission by providing nuclear technology and other advanced space innovations. Kirill Dmitriev, who serves as Putin’s special economic representative and chief economic envoy in recent US-Russia negotiations, announced that Russia could contribute a compact nuclear power station for long-duration interplanetary travel.

The proposal was first floated in mid-March and was reiterated on March 27 during Dmitriev’s discussions at the International Arctic Forum. While there has been no official response from Musk or his aerospace company, SpaceX, the potential collaboration could mark a historic milestone in space diplomacy, drawing comparisons to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project of 1975, the first international crewed space mission between the United States and the Soviet Union.

Dmitriev emphasized that Russia’s extensive experience in nuclear technology and space exploration could play a critical role in overcoming the challenges of deep-space missions. “Russia can offer a small-scale nuclear power station for the Mars mission, along with other advanced technologies,” Dmitriev told RIA Novosti. “We believe that Russia has a lot to offer because we possess nuclear technologies that, I think, could be applicable.”

Russia has long been a pioneer in nuclear energy, with state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom being one of the world’s leading providers of nuclear power solutions. Additionally, Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, has decades of expertise in manned and unmanned spaceflight, including innovations in propulsion systems that could significantly........

© Blitz