Russia is pondering new applications for...

Energia director Vitaly Lopota said a prospective all-weather space and Earth monitoring target-designation satellite would ensure Russia"s superiority in the course of possible armed conflicts.

He said the work was currently at the concept formulation stage and offered no timeframe for the project to be completed.

The corporation is also ready to design a space-based nuclear power station with a capacity of 150 to 500 KW with a service life of 10-15 years, to be initially placed on the moon or Mars.

Another prospective project, Lopota said, is a heavy space platform that would replace several telecommunication satellites, complete with a standalone nuclear power plant, rocket engines and advanced communication antennas.

Such a platform would have a mass of around 20 tons, a service life of 10-15 years and could be built by 2018.

Energia is also working on a concept of a nuclear-powered space tug, which could more than halve satellite launching

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