All articles tagged with #rosatom
Russia’s Rosatom evacuated a further 163 staff from Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant, leaving about 300 workers on site, with construction of additional units paused amid tensions after the US–Israel war with Iran last month.
Russian Rosatom workers at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant have converted a plant room into improvised living quarters with a kitchen and table, drawing safety concerns from a former acting chief engineer who says such use violates safety rules and increases fire risk at a nuclear facility. Workers reportedly stay on site with wages cut and restricted access, while staffing shortages and limited IAEA monitoring raise broader safety and governance concerns amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Russian researchers say a magnetoplasma accelerator powered by an onboard nuclear reactor could propel hydrogen at about 100 km/s, enabling a 30‑day Mars voyage. Ground tests are underway in a 14-meter vacuum chamber, with a flight‑model target by 2030, but questions remain about real‑world readiness, regulatory hurdles, and the lack of peer‑reviewed data.
Russia’s Troitsk Institute (Rosatom) is testing a 300 kW pulsed plasma engine that uses hydrogen and an onboard nuclear reactor to provide continuous thrust, potentially cutting Mars travel from months to about one to two months. Ground tests in a vacuum chamber suggest long operational life, with space deployment hoped for around 2030, though the tech remains unproven in space and faces regulatory and safety hurdles.
Russian researchers at Rosatom’s Troitsk Institute are testing a 300 kW plasma propulsion system that accelerates hydrogen with an onboard nuclear reactor, potentially cutting Mars travel time to about one to two months; current ground tests report exhaust speeds up to 100 km/s, roughly 6 N thrust, and a 2,400-hour service life, but the system has not yet flown or undergone peer review, and deployment depends on further testing, funding, and regulatory approvals toward a 2030 timeframe.
Staff at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine are refusing to comply with the order from the illegitimate management to start up reactor No. 4. The staff, who have refused to sign fake contracts with Rosatom, are categorically refusing to comply with the order, which violates the operating license issued by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine. The Russian-appointed "general director" of the plant is attempting to involve Ukrainian staff who have already refused to sign the fake contracts, but their access to the plant has been blocked. The Ukrainian personnel understand that violating the license terms could result in the loss of their personal licenses after the de-occupation of the plant.
The US Department of Energy has warned Russia's state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom not to touch US-origin nuclear technical data that is export-controlled by the United States Government at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. The plant is currently controlled by Russian forces, and while it is still physically operated by Ukrainian staff, Rosatom manages it. The Energy Department warned Rosatom in the letter that it is "unlawful" for any Russian citizens or entities to handle the US technology.
The US Department of State and Treasury have imposed sanctions on over 120 entities and individuals across 20 countries and jurisdictions in connection with Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including those facilitating sanctions evasion. The sanctions target entities supporting Russia's war against Ukraine, including a new Russian private military company and a Chinese firm providing satellite imagery to entities affiliated with the Wagner private military company. The US will continue to take action against Russia and those supporting its war in Ukraine, including implementing the G7's commitment to impose severe consequences on third country actors who support Russia's war in Ukraine.