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| SpaceShipOne, You Are Go For Liftoff! |
| 2004-07-27 |
| The SpaceShipOne craft that cracked the commercial space flight barrier will be launched in September in a bid to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize, pioneering aviation designer Burt Rutan announced Tuesday . The prize is being offered for the first privately developed, three-seat spacecraft to soar beyond an altitude of 62 miles and repeat the feat within two weeks. SpaceShipOne flew to that altitude in a test flight last month from Mojave, Calif., after being carried to its launch altitude of 50,000 feet under the belly of a Rutan-designed airplane, the jet-powered White Knight. Rutan said he plans a qualifying launch on Sept. 29 followed by the second flight as early as Oct. 4. At a news conference at Santa Monica Airport, Rutan said he plans to be capable of making three flights within the two-week period in case one flight fails to reach the required altitude. The pilot has not been selected. Rutan said the first flight will carry only the pilot but he did not rule out passengers for the subsequent attempt. "I really do want to fly passengers in this ship," he said. Backers of a Canadian effort called the Da Vinci Project announced that their spacecraft will roll out next week in Toronto and they intend to begin flying sometime in the fall. A total of 26 teams in seven countries are developing spacecraft to compete for the X Prize, which is sponsored by the privately funded X Prize Foundation in St. Louis. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 Who was it that said build 'em pretty and they do okay? jeez.... this sucker looks worse that the shuttle. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-07-27 5:30:49 PM |