Buran (Russian: Буран, IPA: [bʊˈran], lit. ' blizzard '; GRAU index serial number: 11F35 1K, construction number: 1.01) was the first spaceplane to be produced as part of the Soviet/Russian Buran program. Buran completed one uncrewed spaceflight in 1988, and was destroyed in 2002 due to the collapse of its storage hangar. [3] .

The Buran orbital vehicle programme was developed in response to the U.S. Space Shuttle program, which raised considerable concerns among the Soviet military and especially Defense Minister Dmitry Ustinov.

Buran, Soviet orbiter similar in design and function to the U.S. space shuttle. Designed by the Energia aerospace bureau, it made a single unmanned, fully automated flight in 1988, only to be grounded shortly thereafter due to cost overruns and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

2020年11月15日 · Buran ("Snowstorm" or "Blizzard") was a Soviet spaceplane and spaceplane program. It was also known as the VKK Space Orbiter program, in which VKK is the Russian acronym for Air Space Ship. It was a reusable spacecraft project that began in 1974 as a response to the American Space Transportation System

2024年12月3日 · The Buran spacecraft was a space shuttle developed by the Soviet Union in response to NASA's space shuttle program. Buran, which means “snowstorm” in Russian, flew one time.

2013年11月15日 · Under a veil of secrecy, the Soviet Space Shuttle “Buran” launched on her maiden mission 25 years ago. It was to be her only flight in space, with the program mothballed in 1993, following...

2023年9月25日 · The Buran Space Shuttle Program encapsulates the Soviet Union’s drive to achieve technological parity with the United States during the Cold War. While economic and political realities curtailed its operational life, the program exemplifies the pinnacle of Soviet aerospace engineering.

2024年3月18日 · The Space Shuttle used a combination of these three engines and a pair of solid rocket boosters to achieve orbit. Buran, on the other hand, relied upon Energia to do all the heavy lifting.

2021年1月27日 · Buran (“blizzard” or “snowstorm”) is now all but forgotten in the West but was a centerpiece of Soviet space efforts from the 1970s through the early 1990s. Officially designated the VKK (“air space ship”) Space Orbiter Program, the Soviet effort was conceived as a counterpoint and competitor to NASA’s space shuttle.

Discover Buran, the Soviet Union's response to the Space Shuttle program. Learn about its design, mission, and lasting impact.