Buran Moscow

Soviet space shuttle

Anton from Moscow

""Buran" in Moscow's VDNKH is a monument to the Soviet Union's space shuttle program. It's a real pity it was ended before its time..."

As a space engineer, I was always excited by the famous Energiya-Buran Soviet space program.

It was started back in 1974 as a counterpart to the US Space Shuttle, and the whole country effort was put into building this spaceship and its launch vehicle for 12 years. By some means, it was even more advanced than Space Shuttle, able to put heavier payloads into orbit, cheaper, and (at the time) much smarter, being able to perform totally automatic flight and landing.

Unfortunately, the enormous amount of workforce and money spent into this project ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and, when the project was 100% done, the Buran made its first and only orbital (unmanned) spaceflight in 1988, with the whole program shutting down shortly after.

Nevertheless, this beautiful spaceship and its giant "Energiya" launch vehicle are still marvels of space engineering, with lots of unsolvable problems solved, and are a monument to the Space Race.

The Buran on display at the VDNKH was renovated in 2014. It's almost the real spacecraft---this one was used for structural testing. If you want to get inside the cabin, there are guided tours available (500RUR, but book in advance, as they have only one English-speaking guide). The cargo bay now hosts interactive displays, and the guide would tell you all the cool details about this program. The cockpit looks as it would have looked for the piloted program, and you'll be able to manually land a Buran from orbit to spaceport on the spaceship simulator.

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Moscow Spotter Anton

About me I'm a Rocket Engineer developing attitude control systems for space satellites. It's believed that such a guy should have a "fast food" diet, but that's not my case. I love cooking (including making my own hard cheese) and always search for unusual, cool places. I'm also a frequent traveler (57 countries so far), and always try to get off the beaten tracks away from tourist crowds. The reward is awesome: talking to native locals about their life in Tehran, or going to an underground disco in Santiago de Cuba are priceless. Why Moscow I was born in Moscow when ...

About this spot

Prospekt Mira, 119

Guided tour:

RUB

free

Website

4955443496

Dec 10, 2025

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