To conduct a large-scale restoration of the Buran reusable orbital vehicle (item 2.01 “Baikal”), in July-August 2024, it was moved from the “VoenFilm-Medyn” film complex to the UMMC Museum Complex in Verkhnyaya Pyshma. It is planned that, once restoration work is complete, the orbiter will become the centrepiece of a new exhibition dedicated to the “Energia-Buran” programme. This was announced by the press service of the private cultural institution, the “Museum Complex”.
The “Baikal” orbiter (item 2.01) is the third flight article of the Soviet “Buran” programme. Its restoration is a complex engineering project, requiring innovative approaches and solutions. The lack of specialists with experience in restoring spacecraft means that museum staff at the exhibition complex in Verkhnyaya Pyshma are having to independently develop restoration techniques. In addition, there’s the issue of incomplete or inaccessible orbiter blueprints, as well as the use of materials that were implemented in the 1980s during the construction of the space shuttle.
“We are treating the existing original assemblies and components with the utmost care. The technologies, materials and instrumentation used in the construction of “Buran” are extremely complex, making it difficult to even produce mock-up solutions. Our objective is to give the orbiter a finished external appearance and to arrange access for visitors inside, in order to display as many structural elements and engineering solutions as possible, which were used in the creation of this space legend,” noted Nikolai Rezinskikh, Director of the Museum Complex in Verkhnyaya Pyshma.

The first phase of restoration will involve scanning the orbiter’s fuselage. The data obtained will enable the recreation of missing structural elements, such as the external parts of the control and main engines, the nose landing gear door, glazing fragments, as well as the nose cone and wing leading edge fairings. Particular attention is being paid to preserving original assemblies and components, which are of significant historical and technical value.
“Baikal” has a number of differences from the “Buran” that completed the single space flight, as it was intended for longer and more complex missions. In particular, it was the first to have fully operational 30kW power systems installed, based on electrochemical generators with hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells. These provided a direct conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy, a technological breakthrough at the time.

The “Baikal” cockpit was equipped with two K-36RB ejection seats for the crew. The first planned manned flight of “Buran 2.01”, lasting 24 hours, was scheduled for 1994 with a crew of two cosmonauts: Igor Volk and Alexander Ivanchenkov. The flight objective included the testing of the orbiter’s systems and equipment.
The history of “Buran 2.01” after the closure of the programme was not straightforward. Until 2004, it was located in the workshops of the Tushino Machine-Building Plant, before being moved to a mooring at the Khimki Reservoir. In 2006, the orbiter was sold to a commercial company and in 2011 it was transported to Zhukovsky for restoration and display at the MAKS air show. However, owing to a breach of contract, the restoration work was not completed.
After MAKS-2011, the orbiter remained on the territory of the Gromov Flight Research Institute (LII), where it was held in a preserved state for several years. In the autumn of 2021, the director of the technology museum, Vadim Zadorozhny, became the owner of “Buran 2.01”. The restoration of the orbiter was planned to begin in 2022. A dedicated hangar, not available at the Gromov LII in Zhukovsky, was needed for this. Subsequently, the orbiter was relocated to the “VoenFilm-Medyn” film complex in the Kaluga region where the restoration work was intended to be carried out.

The external condition of the orbiter is currently unsatisfactory. The wing consoles have lost some of their heat shield panels, some parts have sustained damage, and the undercarriage is missing. The restoration will involve repairing the fuselage and damaged and missing components. The restoration project includes the construction of a dedicated pavilion for “Baikal” in the future exhibition of the UMMC Museum Complex, which is currently under construction in Verkhnyaya Pyshma.
The pavilion will display not only the restored orbiter, but also other exhibits detailing the history of the “Energia-Buran” programme. Museum visitors will be able to see the structural elements and technical solutions used in the orbiter’s construction. In addition, there will be access to the interior of the orbiter for a detailed examination of its internal design.
Archival materials from the buran.ru website were used in the preparation of this article.