Buran Programme - Planned Flights

Planned Flights

The planned flights for the shuttles in 1989, before the downsizing of the project and eventual cancellation, were:

• 1991 — Shuttle Ptichka unmanned first flight, duration 1–2 days.
• 1992 — Shuttle Ptichka unmanned second flight, duration 7–8 days. Orbital maneuvers and space station approach test.
• 1993 — Shuttle Buran unmanned second flight, duration 15–20 days.
• 1994 — Shuttle 2.01 first manned space test flight, duration of 24 hours. Craft equipped with life-support system and with two ejection seats. Crew would consist of only two cosmonauts with Igor Volk as commander, and Aleksandr Ivanchenko as flight engineer.
• Second manned space test flight, crew would consist of only two cosmonauts.
• Third manned space test flight, crew would consist of only two cosmonauts.
• Fourth manned space test flight, crew would consist of only two cosmonauts.

The planned unmanned second flight of the Ptichka was changed in 1991 to the following:

• December 1991 — Shuttle 1.02 — informally "Ptichka" unmanned second flight, with a duration of 7–8 days. Orbital maneuvers and space station approach test:
  • automatic docking with Mir's Kristall module
  • crew transfer from Mir to the shuttle, with testing of some of its systems in the course of twenty-four hours, including the remote manipulator
  • undocking and autonomous flight in orbit
  • docking of the manned Soyuz-TM 101 with the shuttle
  • crew transfer from the Soyuz to the shuttle and onboard work in the course of twenty-four hours
  • automatic undocking and landing