# OK-TVA

> structural test article in the Buran programme

**Wikidata**: [Q4328929](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4328929)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/ok-tva

## Summary
OK-TVA is a structural test article built in the Soviet Union for the Buran space-shuttle programme. It never flew in space; instead it was used on the ground to validate the airframe, thermal-protection tiles and load paths of the Buran-class orbiters.

## Key Facts
- Instance of: Buran-class orbiter, dedicated static-test article
- Programme: part of the Soviet Energia–Buran reusable-spacecraft project
- Country of origin: Soviet Union
- Alternate designations: Buran 7M, 7M, Buran 0.15, 0.15
- Commons category: OK-TVA (4 sitelinks: Commons, Italian, Polish, Russian Wikipedias)
- Image file: Buran_OK-TVA_VDNKh.JPG on Wikimedia Commons
- Google Knowledge Graph ID: /g/1212s01p

## FAQs
### Q: Was OK-TVA ever launched into space?
A: No. OK-TVA is a ground-test structure only; it was built to verify structural integrity and never equipped for orbital flight.

### Q: How does OK-TVA differ from the orbiter that actually flew?
A: OK-TVA lacks engines, avionics and operational thermal protection; its role was static testing, while the flight vehicle (OK-1.01) was fully outfitted for autonomous space missions.

### Q: Where can OK-TVA be seen today?
A: The article is on outdoor display at the VDNKh exhibition centre in Moscow, Russia.

## Why It Matters
OK-TVA provided the Soviet engineers with a full-scale, load-bearing replica to validate the Buran shuttle’s aluminium-lithium airframe and tile-based thermal-protection system before risking the far more expensive flight hardware. By subjecting OK-TVA to bending, vibration and thermal cycling tests, designers confirmed that the vehicle could survive the stresses of launch, re-entry and landing. The data reduced uncertainty, informed safety margins and ultimately enabled the only Buran orbital flight in 1988. As a preserved artefact, OK-TVA now serves as a tangible reminder of the Soviet Union’s brief but technically ambitious entry into the reusable-spacecraft race.

## Notable For
- One of only a handful of full-scale Buran airframes ever completed
- Survived the programme’s cancellation, unlike the flight orbiters that were scrapped or lost
- Publicly displayed at VDNKh, making it the most accessible Buran artifact in Moscow
- Retains its distinctive black-and-white thermal-protection tile patterning, illustrating late-Soviet aerospace construction techniques

## Body
### Role in the Buran Programme
OK-TVA was fabricated to validate the structural design of the Buran shuttle. Engineers used it for static-load, vibration and thermal tests, ensuring the flight vehicles could withstand ascent and re-entry stresses.

### Physical Characteristics
Although detailed dimensions are not specified in the source material, OK-TVA mirrors the Buran orbiter’s 36 m length and 24 m wingspan. The article replicates the production airframe’s aluminium-lithium alloy structure and carries a representative tile insulation system.

### Legacy and Display
Following the Buran programme’s termination in 1993, OK-TVA was moved to Moscow’s VDNKh park for public exhibition. It remains an outdoor monument to Soviet space ambitions, photographed extensively and referenced in aerospace histories.