Buran Atmospheric Test Vehicle

Mission Profile

Buran Atmospheric Test Vehicle (BTS-002, OK-GLI) was a specially modified non-orbital Buran spacecraft fitted with jet engines for powered take-off and flight testing, used to validate Buran's aerodynamic performance and automatic landing system at Zhukovskiy airfield beginning in 1984. Equipped with four AL-31 turbofan engines allowing it to take off under its own power, the BTS-002 conducted 24 successful flights to validate the vehicle's approach and landing characteristics, including fully automatic landings, before the orbital Buran conducted its single uncrewed spaceflight in 1988. The BTS-002 demonstrated the reliability of Buran's autonomous landing system, which successfully brought the orbital vehicle back from its November 1988 mission despite being untested in space conditions. After the Buran program was cancelled in 1993, the BTS-002 was eventually acquired and displayed at various air shows.