Buran

The Soviet response to the US Space Shuttle, the Buran shuttle, has flown only once - on November 15, 1988.  This was an unmanned flight;it returned to Earth on autopilot.  The Buran, and Energia booster on which it rides into orbit, weigh more than 4.4 million pounds (2000 metric tonnes) at liftoff.  It has a payload capacity of 66 000 pounds (30 metric tonnes), carried in the cargo bay as on the US Space Shuttle.  The Buran is 53 feet (16.45 meters) high, 118 feet (36.4 meters) long and has a wingspan of 78 feet (23.9 meters) compared to the US Shuttle which is 56 feet (17.25 meters) high, 121 feet (37.24 meters) long,  and has a 77 foot (23.79 meter) wingspan.

Although not currently expected to fly again, the Buran and Energia could potentially be used in the future.  The Energia booster has flown independently twice.  Owing to the fact that, except for the Space Station, there are no loads large enough to need Energia flights it is not considered as a Space Station launch vehicle.  If it were used as one, it could lift the entire Space Station (300 tonnes mass) in just 3 flights but the parts do not fit within the available volume!  By camparison, it is currently planned that 38 flights will be needed to assemble the Space Station.
