NEXT SPACEFLIGHT

Status

Success

Buran

Launch Time
Tue Nov 15, 1988 03:00 UTC

The first and only flight of the Buran spacecraft.
First flight of a Soviet space shuttle.
First flight of an automated space shuttle.

Rocket

Energiya/Buran
Image Credit: RSC Energia
RVSN USSR
Status: Retired
Price: $3,000.0 million
Liftoff Thrust: 35,832 kN
Payload to LEO: 105,000 kg
Payload to GTO: 40,000 kg
Stages: 1
Strap-ons: 4
Rocket Height: 59.0 m
Fairing Diameter: 5.7 m
Fairing Height: 41.0 m

Vehicles

Yubileyniy Airport

1K (1.01)

Flight #1
1st Energiya recovery attempt
1st successful Energiya recovery
1st consecutive successful Energiya landing and recovery

Mission Details

Buran 1K

Buran is the first large space shuttle produced by the USSR. This first flight was uncrewed, control of the shuttle was automated, which the American shuttle was unable to do. The shuttle placed itself correctly in orbit, before returning a few hours later on Earth, landing on an airstrip in Baikonur. This was also the last flight of the shuttle, it was destroyed in 2002 during the collapse of the hangar where it was stored.

Buran's on-board computer was free to choose the airport where the shuttle would land. At first Buran headed for the Yasny runway, but then changed direction towards the Baikonur cosmodrome, without the engineers being aware of it.
Instead of landing directly, the computer made Buran turn around so that it landed on the other side of the runway, something also unexpected.

Payloads: 1
Total Mass: 90,000.0 kg
Low Earth Orbit

Location

Site 110/37, Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan

Stats

1988

105th orbital launch attempt

Energiya

2nd mission
1st mission of 1988
2nd successful mission