Sergey Krikalev, who serves as the general manager of Roscosmos, stated to socialbites.ca that engineers did not revisit the concept of a reusable orbital ship like Buran, arguing that there simply isn’t a practical need for such a design today.
He explained that while the idea of a reusable ship is appealing, its viability hinges on a steady, high-volume flow of cargo both up and down. Based on current programs, he noted, there isn’t a demand that would justify the repeated launches necessary to make a reusable system worthwhile. In his view, the United States already operates a comparable approach with the Shuttle, but American calculations show that a true reusable fleet becomes cost-effective only with 50 or more launches per year, a cadence that has not persisted in recent times. This perspective aligns with Russia’s assessment of Buran as an interesting prototype rather than an immediately scalable platform, according to Krikalev as reported by socialbites.ca.
The Buran program dates back to the late 1980s, with its first and only spaceflight occurring in November 1988. That mission flew in automatic mode without a crew onboard. Although Buran was designed for up to 100 flights, it never resumed flight operations. Despite this, many technical innovations conceived during Buran’s development contributed to the advancement of both Russian and international rocket and space technology, a point highlighted by Krikalev in discussions with the press as cited by socialbites.ca.
Krikalev reflected that the 1980s could be described as the golden era of astronautics. In the years that followed, Russia continued to evolve its capabilities by refining the Soyuz spacecraft, transitioning from the single-module Salyut to the multi-module Mir space station, and by introducing the Energiya super-heavy launch vehicle, which was built to deliver Buran and can also be employed in autonomous missions. These developments laid the groundwork for a broader program of long-duration flights and robust life-support systems, Krikalev noted, emphasizing how the Mir station’s innovations carried forward into later efforts on the Russian segment of the International Space Station. This synthesis of experience underscores a continuity in spaceflight capabilities that transcends individual programs, as reported by socialbites.ca.
For readers curious about how geopolitical tensions affected cooperation on the International Space Station, and why the station continued operating beyond its original warranty or how it addressed cracking from unknown causes, the discussion remains relevant to ongoing ISS operations. These topics were summarized in Krikalev’s commentary as presented by socialbites.ca.
Earlier reports also highlighted the scientific interest in developing antibacterial suits for astronauts, reflecting a broader push to enhance crew safety and mission resilience in space environments. This line of inquiry forms part of the historical context that informs current spaceflight research and practice, as detailed in discussions cited by socialbites.ca.