Arsenal, the military entity of the conglomerate Roscosmos, introduced an unprecedented space tug on its pavilion at the MAKS 2019 Air Show.
During the MAKS 2019 Air Show, Arsenal — the military entity of the conglomerate Roscosmos — introduced on its pavilion the model of an unprecedented space tug. Powered by a nuclear reactor of 500 kW under development at Rosatom, this tug — baptized TEM — will be operated to relocate satellites of several tonnes on different orbits. The TEM, able to operate in both low and high orbit, is also dedicated to space exploration. It is thus capable to set international space stations around the Moon or Mars. Featured with a telescopic structure, the TEM can reach a length of 50 m once deployed. Roscosmos reckons 5 to 10 years will be necessary to be able to operate the first launch.