Installation der Energia-Trägerrakete auf der Startrampe, Baikonour, UdSSR, 1988

Energia had alot of potential, sucks it only flew twice.

Energia was much better and useful result of the program than Buran.

We would get actual reusable first (Block A) stage in the 1988. While orbiter itself was an expensive military toy, suffering from all problems of the spaceplanes as concept. Yet, afterflight refurbishing was minimized compared to Space Shuttle, it’s still full of dead mass of avionics, wings and expensive and complex thermal protection.

The launch vehicle would, on other hand, had potential to kick-start reusability 35 years ago.