A project that evokes pride
35 years ago, on November 15, 1988, the Soviet “shuttle” made its only flight. – reusable spacecraft “Buran”. It launched with the help of a heavy space rocket “Energia” and landed in automatic mode “like an airplane.” Experts call that project epoch-making. Unfortunately, nothing of this scale has been implemented in our country in the field of rocket and space technology since then.
Former head of the Ilyushin company, active state adviser 3rd class Alexey Rogozin told what technologies of the project “Energia-Buran” lost by us.
More than 1,300 enterprises and organizations participated in the creation of the super rocket and reusable spacecraft. more than a million specialists. Grandfather of Alexey Rogozin – Lieutenant General Oleg Konstantinovich Rogozin – in the position of first deputy head of the Armaments Service of the USSR Ministry of Defense, he took part in the project and interacted with the general designer of the program, Gleb Lozino-Lozinsky.
Alexey Rogozin listed the projects created during the implementation of the Energia-Buran program. technologies. The USSR created a super-heavy launch vehicle “Energia”, capable of launching cargo weighing 100 tons into low-Earth orbit. The plans included a Vulcan rocket. with a lifting capacity of 200 tons. The technology for reusable use of spacecraft has been developed.
Created for “Energy” The world's most powerful oxygen-kerosene liquid rocket engine RD-170 was later used in Zenit rockets, and its modifications – in American Atlas-3 rockets and “Atlas-5”, the Russian “Angara”.
Reusable aerospace aircraft “Buran” could launch 30 tons of cargo into orbit and release 20 tons from orbit. It was the world's first space drone, and this technology, Alexey Rogozin noted in his channel, has been lost in our country.
Under “Energia-Buran” The only domestic universal stand-launch complex was built at Baikonur, allowing for ground fire tests and launches of super-heavy class launch vehicles. This technology has also been lost. Launch complex “Energy” abandoned. In the hangar, where the reserve Buran had been parked for a long time, the roof broke, practically destroying the spaceship.
To transport the experimental Buran spacecraft, Baikonur has developed a unique technology using the unique VM-T Atlant aircraft. Myasishchev Design Bureau and the An-225 Mriya super-heavy transport aircraft Antonov Design Bureau. This technology is also among those lost. At least, we don’t have such aircraft today.
Project “Energia-Buran” was closed. As military expert, editor-in-chief of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine Viktor Murakhovsky noted, “such projects, even if they remain in history today, even after years cause sincere pride.” “And also – give faith in the new achievements of the country, its scientists and engineers,” – he concluded.
Well and, of course, in addition to the feeling of pride and faith in future achievements, the example of “Energy-Buran” cannot but evoke a feeling of great regret. What do we have – We don’t store it, having lost it – we're crying…
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