SpaceShipOne claims X-Prize and altitude record
SpaceShipOne became the world's first privately built manned rocket to enter space twice in one week on 4 October, winning the 10 million USD X-Prize and setting a new world altitude record for fixed wing aircraft in the process. 'We are proud to announce that SpaceShipOne has made two flights to 100 kilometres and has won the Ansari X-Prize,' said Peter Diamandis, founder of the competition. The historic flight coincided with the anniversary of the launch of Sputnik, the first man made object ever to leave the Earth's atmosphere in 1957. Burt Rutan, president of the company that designed SpaceShipOne, Scaled Composites, revealed that the winning flight had proved flawless, following changes to the launch trajectory and other adjustments to avoid a repeat of the 29 rolls that caused the team concern during the first qualifying flight. A different pilot, Brian Binnie, was at the controls for the victorious second leg of the journey, and he became only the second civilian pilot after his colleague from the first attempt, Mike Melville, to win his astronaut's wings. The British entrepreneur Richard Branson was waiting on the tarmac to greet the return of SpaceShipOne to Earth. He has already licensed the craft's design for his Virgin Galactic venture, which aims to offer commercial passengers the chance to visit space. Mr Binnie's experience certainly convinced him of the viability of Mr Branson's business plan: 'There's a freedom there and a sense of wonder that, I tell you what, you all need to experience.' Mr Rutan says that his ultimate goal is to bring the cost of a space flight for passengers down to the price of a low cost car.