In My World

SpaceShipOne is an experimental spaceplane, which on June 21, 2004 made the first privately-funded human spaceflight (SpaceShipOne flight 15P). It is an air launched suborbital spaceplane, using a hybrid rocket motor. It has been developed by Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan’s aviation company, in their Tier One program, with no government funding.

SpaceShipOne is the leading contender for the Ansari X Prize, the prize for the first non-governmental reusable manned spacecraft. It has already made one of the two required successful spaceflights, and needs to make a second by October 13, 2004 to win. Its next flight, which may win the X Prize, is scheduled for October 4, 2004, the 47th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1.

Little about it’s history:

The Scaled Composites model number of SpaceShipOne is 316.

SpaceShipOne is registered with the FAA as N328KF. ‘N’ is the prefix for US-registered aircraft; ‘328KF’ stands for 328 thousand (K) feet (approximately 100 kilometers, the officially designated edge of space). The original choice of registry number, N100KM, was already taken. It is registered as a glider, reflecting the fact that most of its independent flight is unpowered.

All the SpaceShipOne flights have been based at the Mojave Airport Civilian Flight Test Center.

SpaceShipOne made its first flight, flight 01C, on May 20, 2003. It was an uncrewed captive carry flight test. Glide tests followed, starting with flight 03G on August 7, 2003. The first powered flight, flight 11P, was made on December 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the first ever powered flight by the Wright Brothers.

On April 1, 2004, Scaled Composites received the first license for sub-orbital piloted rocket flights to be issued by the US Department of Transportation. This license permits the company to conduct powered test flights for a period of one year. On June 17, 2004 Mojave Airport reclassified itself (part-time) as the Mojave Spaceport.

Flight 15P on June 21, 2004 was SpaceShipOne’s first spaceflight, and the first privately-funded human spaceflight. This was a successful test flight, with a couple of technical problems, now resolved. Flight 16P was the first competitive X Prize flight. This was successful overall, but marred by a major pilot-induced roll excursion. Flight 17P, attempting to win the X Prize, is scheduled for October 4, 2004. If flight 17P is not successful, there is a possibility of a third competitive flight.

After the X Prize flights, SpaceShipOne will most likely continue to make test flights, developing the technology further, in the process of designing future spacecraft such as the planned Virgin SpaceShip. It is also expected to carry a handful of paying passengers on barnstorming flights: those prospective space tourists who can’t wait for routine space tourism and are sufficiently wealthy to afford the exorbitant fee. Scaled Composites is considering other payloads that have been proposed for SpaceShipOne.