Ah, the rich

Private race to space sets start date (New Scientist - 28 July 2004)

The private race to space is officially on, with the announcement that the first attempt at the $10 million Ansari X-Prize will start on 29 September. And a second team is ready to make another attempt shortly afterwards.

Burt Rutan, whose SpaceShipOne became in June the first privately-funded craft to reach space, announced on Tuesday that his rocket will make its first X-Prize flight in 60 days time from the Mojave Spaceport in the California desert. ...

As it did on 21 June, SpaceShipOne is expected to reach an altitude of 100 kilometres, or 62 miles, which is the altitude boundary chosen by the X-Prize Foundation as its definition of reaching space. But this time, the craft will carry additional weight equivalent to two passengers, as the competition's rules require. ...

Right behind SpaceShipOne is the da Vinci Project, based in Toronto, Canada, which is also planning a prize attempt in the autumn, though they have not yet set a date. ...

The da Vinci project's rocket, called Wild Fire, is now complete and will be revealed to the public on 5 August. It is to be carried to 24 kilometres by a helium balloon, allowing the rocket to be launched above most of the atmosphere. SpaceShipOne accomplishes the same thing by using a separate carrier airplane, called White Knight.