MOSCOW, April 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia has started to test a prototype electrode-less plasma engine designed for deep space missions, the National Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute" announced.
The engine is being tested in a specialized facility simulating space conditions, said Institute President Mikhail Kovalchuk at a meeting of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Tuesday.
"We have a whole series of developments... aimed at creating a fundamentally new engine for deep space travel. We have a facility that simulates space conditions. It is a huge volume, almost 1,000 cubic meters, with enormous pumping speed. That's where this electrode-less plasma engine is being installed to test all of its parameters," Kovalchuk said.
He added that a trial run of the facility was conducted the previous day under the Kurchatov Institute's supervisory board.
The Kurchatov Institute, one of Russia's leading scientific centers, is renowned for its achievements in nuclear energy and physics. ■