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.
Key facts
- Buran’s only flight took place on 15 November 1988.
- The orbital mission was uncrewed and its landing was automatic.
Context
- Period
- 1976–1993
- Status
- not realised
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Sources & further reading
- NASA History: account of Buran’s sole automated flight with Energia.
- NASA History: wider context for the Soviet shuttle and the end of the programme.
Spaceflightpedia. (n.d.). Buran. Retrieved 15 October 2026, from https://spaceflightpedia.com/article/buran
article text — CC-BY-SA · ◉ NASA photography — public domain · ✦ AI illustration — marked, generated from sources