SpaceShipOne To Shoot For $10M Prize
POSTED: Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Aviation designer Burt Rutan announced Tuesday that he will compete for the $10 million Ansari XPrize in September.
The prize goes to the first privately developed spacecraft capable of carrying three people to an altitude above 62 miles and repeat the feat within two weeks.Rutan's SpaceShipOne flew at that altitude in a test flight last month from Mojave, Calif.Rutan said he plans to launch on Sept. 29 and make 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.A Canadian effort called the Da Vinci Project announced it will roll out its spacecraft next week in Toronto and intends to begin flying sometime in the fall.That project uses a balloon to carry a rocket-powered capsule part of the way to the edge of the atmosphere. Rutan's team uses an unusual looking carrier aircraft known as White Knight to take the spacecraft aloft.The SpaceShipOne project was financed by Microsoft millionaire Paul Allen.
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Previous Stories:
- June 21, 2004: Private Company Becomes First To Put Man In Space
- June 20, 2004: Private Space Craft Prepared For Launch
Distributed by Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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