Buran: Russia’s Forgotten Shuttle

The Buran program was the Soviet Union’s answer to NASA’s Space Shuttle, developed during the Cold War to create a reusable spaceplane. Launched on November 15, 1988, Buran completed its first and only orbital flight unmanned and fully automated, a feat NASA’s shuttle never achieved.

Despite its success, the program was canceled in the early 1990s due to the Soviet Union’s collapse and budget cuts. The original Buran was later destroyed when its hangar collapsed in 2002, leaving it as a symbol of lost potential in space exploration.