Buran

Buran was part of the wider Energia–Buran system. It resembled the U.S. shuttle, but on its only flight on 15 November 1988 it reached orbit without a crew, circled Earth, and landed automatically on a runway near Baikonur.

The dissolution of the Soviet Union and changing budget priorities ended the programme before an operational fleet could emerge. Buran therefore remains a striking example of a technically successful but politically and economically unsustainable space project.