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Industry: Email Alert RSS FeedDawn of the commercial space age
Science News, Oct 9, 2004 by S. Perkins
On Oct. 4, SpaceShipOne dropped from its mother ship at an altitude of 50,000 feet, ignited its engine, and then shot to a height of 378,000 feet, or 115.1 kilometers, a world record for a rocket-powered plane. Because the privately funded plane pierced the 100-km altitude that marks the edge of space for the second time within a week--and did so carrying extra weight representing two passenger--its design team claimed the $10 million Ansari X prize, which was established in 1996 to spur commercial space travel.
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Microsoft cofounder Paul G. Allen bankrolled the SpaceShipOne project with at least $20 million. Monday's flight occurred on the 47th anniversary of the former Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik I, the world's first artificial satellite. SpaceShipOne is shown with its mother ship.
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