The Buran did fly in space – just once, in November 1988, not long before the Soviet Union collapsed. Its lone mission was uncrewed. The Buran relied on an automated launch sequence, rode on an ...

What it’s about: Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of… actually, now that we mention it, that should be voyage. Singular. After losing the race to the moon, the Soviet space program ...

Here’s What You Need to Know: The Buran program was judged a success and would likely have continued had the Cold War carried on. Unfortunately, it suffered from poor timing: the Soviet Union had ...