Scaled Composites Craft Makes First Private Flight Into Space

At 9:47 am (Eastern) this morning, WhiteKnight took off from the Mojave Desert in California carying SpaceShip One in it's first attempt to reach an altitude of 100 kilometers (62 miles). After being released from WhiteKnight at 50,000 feet and accelerating to three times the speed of sound (Mach 3), SpaceShip One achieved its goal of entering space and then landed safely back in the Mojave Desert. Piloted by Michael Melvill, this marks the first spaceflight not sponsored by a government in which the crew earns astronaut wings.

For this test flight, Melvill comprised the entire crew, but to win the Ansari X-Prize, Scaled Composites must launch the craft with a crew of three to 100 kilometers, return them safely to Earth, and then do it again within two weeks. Although a number of other organizations are in the running for the X-Prize, Scaled Composites, led by Burt Rutan, is expected to make the first official attempt.

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