Buran space shuttle

Although the Soviet Union/Russia launched the first satellite into space in 1957 and has made more than 2800 launches since that time, liquid hydrogen was very rarely used except for the Energia launch vehicle developed for their Buran Space Shuttle. After the only successful launch of an unmaimed Buran orbiter in 1988 using the Energia rocket, this program was canceled due to lack of funds. 

In the Soviet Union, the power plant Photon was developed jointly for the Buran space shuttle by the Urals Integrated Electrochemical Plant (which had also been concerned with problems of nuclear energy) and the S. P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation. The Photon power plant weighed 160 kg and had a sustained power of 10 kW (with a maximum load of 15 kW). The alkaline fuel cells in this plant were of the matrix type and had hydrophobized electrodes with a porous nickel support and 20 mg/cm of platinum catalysts. Because of discontinuation of the Buran project, the experience gained when developing the Photon battery was used subsequently in building power plants for test models of electric cars (Korovin, 2005). 

In the 1970s and 1980s, a 10- or 15-kW fuel cell power plant. Photon, was developed in the Urals Integrated Electrochemical Plant in collaboration with the S. P. Korolev Energy Space Corporation for the planned Buran space shuttle. Preliminary tests demonstrated the excellent qnality of this AFC-based power plant. Fnrther work was discontinued when the Bnran project was shelved. 

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