The Ansari X PRIZE was a space competition in which the X PRIZE Foundation offered a US$10,000,000 prize for the first non-government organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks. It was modeled after early 20th-century aviation prizes, and aimed to spur development of low-cost spaceflight. The prize was won on October 4, 2004, the 47th anniversary of the Sputnik 1 launch, by the Tier One project designed by Burt Rutan and financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, using the experimental spaceplane SpaceShipOne. $10 million was awarded to the winner, but more than $100 million was invested in new technologies in pursuit of the prize. X PRIZEs are innovative, high-profile competitions that motivate individuals, companies and organizations across all boundaries to solve the grand challenges that are currently restricting humanity’s progress. ... X Prize graphic, romanticised image for press use, deemed fair use when in promotion of the project. ... A space competition is an offer of a prize to be given to the first competitor who demonstrates a space vehicle, or a space exploration apparatus, which meets a set of pre-established criteria. ... The original Ansari X Prize was presented on November 6, 2004. ... “USD” redirects here. ... A prize is an award given to a person or a group of people to recognise and reward actions or achievements. ... “NGO” redirects here. ... Human spaceflight is space exploration with a human crew, and possibly passengers (in contrast to unmanned space missions, which are remotely-controlled or robotic space probes). ... Layers of Atmosphere - not to scale (NOAA)[1] Outer space, sometimes simply called space, refers to the relatively empty regions of the universe outside the atmospheres of celestial bodies. ... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... Look up aviation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sputnik 1 (Russian: , Satellite-1, byname ПС-1 (PS-1, i. ... Tier One is Scaled Composites program of suborbital human spaceflight using the reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne and its launcher White Knight. ... A spaceplane is a rocket plane designed to pass the edge of space. ... SpaceShipOne is small, having a three-person cabin and short but wide wings. ...

The second X PRIZE, the 'Archon X PRIZE', was announced in October 2006 by the X PRIZE Foundation. The prize is $10 million for the first non-governmental organization to sequence the complete genomes of 100 humans in 10 days time. More information on the X PRIZE in genomics at: Genomics X PRIZE The Archon X Prize in genomics, the second X Prize to be awarded by the X Prize Foundation, based in Santa Monica, California, was announced October 4th, 2006. ...

The third X Prize, the Automotive X Prize, was announced shortly thereafter, and promises a prize to the first non-governmental organization to create, market, and produce in significant quantities an automobile capable of traveling at least 100 miles on 1 gallon of gasoline. The Automotive X PRIZE is a prize from the X PRIZE Foundation. ...

The fourth X Prize, the Google Lunar X Prize, was announced in September 2007, and promises an unprecedented $30,000,000 to the first 2 non-governmental teams to land a rover on the moon and complete set tasks. The Google Lunar X PRIZE, sometimes referred to as simply Moon 2. ...

Motivation

The X PRIZE was first proposed by Dr. Peter Diamandis in an address to the NSS International Space Development Conference in 1995. The competition goal was adopted from the SpaceCub project, demonstration of a private vehicle capable of flying a pilot to the edge of space, defined as 100 km altitude. This goal was selected to help encourage the space industry in the private sector, which is why the entries were not allowed to have any government funding. It aimed to demonstrate that spaceflight can be affordable and accessible to corporations and civilians, opening the door to commercial spaceflight and space tourism. It is also hoped that competition will breed innovation, introducing new low-cost methods of reaching Earth orbit, and ultimately pioneering low-cost space travel and unfettered human expansion into the solar system. Peter H. Diamandis (born 20 May 1961 in Bronx, New York) is considered a key American figure in the development of the personal spaceflight industry, having created many space-related businesses or organizations. ... National Space Society logo The National Space Society (NSS) is an international nonprofit 501(c)(3), educational, and scientific organization specializing in space advocacy. ... The International Space Development Conference (ISDC) is the annual conference of the National Space Society. ... SpaceCub was a design project for a homebuilt rocket. ... The private sector of a nations economy consists of all that is outside the state. ... ISS in earth orbit. ... This space for sale Private spaceflight is flight above 100km Earth altitude conducted by an entity other than a government. ... The curvature of the Earth seen from orbit provides one of the main attractions for tourists paying to go into space Space tourism is the recent phenomenon of individuals paying for space travel, primarily for personal satisfaction. ... Earth orbit is an orbit around the planet Earth. ... Space exploration is the physical exploration of outer-Earth objects and generally anything that involves the technologies, science, and politics regarding space endeavors. ... Artists conception of a space habitat called the Stanford torus, by Don Davis Space colonization (also called space settlement, space humanization, space habitation, etc. ... This article is about the Solar System. ...

The X PRIZE was modeled after many prizes from the early 20th century that helped prod the development of air flight, including most notably the $25,000 Orteig Prize that spurred Charles Lindbergh to make his solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. NASA is developing a similar prize program called Centennial Challenges to generate innovative solutions to space technology problems. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... A hummingbird Female Mallard Duck in midflight A dragonfly in flight Flight is the process by which an object achieves sustained movement either through the air by aerodynamically generating lift or aerostatically using buoyancy, or movement beyond earths atmosphere, in the case of spaceflight. ... Charles Lindbergh (left) and Raymond Orteig The Orteig Prize was a $25,000 reward offered in 1919 by hotel owner Raymond Orteig to the first allied aviator(s) to fly non-stop from New York City to Paris or vice-versa. ... Charles Augustus Lindbergh (4 February 1902 – 26 August 1974), known as Lucky Lindy and The Lone Eagle, was an American pilot famous for the first solo, non-stop flight across the Atlantic, from Roosevelt Field, Long Island to Paris in 1927 in the Spirit of St. ... This article is about the American space agency. ... The Centennial Challenges are NASA inducement prize contests for non-government-funded technological achievements by American teams. ... Space technology is a term that is often treated as a category. ...

Created in May 1996 and initially called just "X PRIZE", it was renamed "Ansari X PRIZE" on May 6, 2004 following a multi-million dollar donation from entrepreneurs Anousheh Ansari and Amir Ansari. Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 126th day of the year (127th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Donation is a gift to a fund or cause, typically for charitable reasons. ... For the sequel to the computer game Entrepreneur, which has no article of its own, see The Corporate Machine. ... Anousheh Ansari (Persian: , born 12 September 1966) is the Iranian-American co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems, Inc. ... Amir Ansari Amir Ansari is co-founder of venture capital firm Prodea. ...

Contestants

Twenty-six teams from around the world participated, ranging from volunteer hobbyists to large corporate-backed operations:

• Acceleration Engineering
• Advent Launch Services
• Aeronautics and Cosmonautics Romanian Association (ARCASPACE)
• Armadillo Aerospace
• American Astronautics Corporation
• Bristol Spaceplanes, Ltd
• Canadian Arrow
• The da Vinci Project
• Pablo de Leon & Associates
• Discraft Corporation
• Flight Exploration
• Fundamental Technology Systems
• HARC
• IL Aerospace Technologies
• Interorbital Systems
• Kelly Space and Technology
• Lone Star Space Access Corporation
• Micro-Space, Inc.
• PanAero, Inc.
• Pioneer Rocketplane, Inc. (now Rocketplane Kistler)
• Scaled Composites' Tier One project (this team ultimately won the prize)
• Space Transport Corporation
• Starchaser Industries
• Suborbital Corporation
• TGV Rockets
• Vanguard Spacecraft
• Whalen Aeronautics Inc.

This contestant list notably did not include traditional space access companies like Boeing and Lockheed, which many in the industry believe to be incapable of replacing their present space transportation vehicles with low-cost alternatives. These critics claim as evidence the companies' several failed attempts to do so, such as the X-33 project, on contract from NASA and other U.S. government agencies. However, the X PRIZE Foundation itself did not ban these companies from applying, so long as they could prove their efforts on this project would be free of government funding. ARCA logo Asociatia Romana pentru Cosmonautica si Aeronautica (ARCA) or Cosmonautics and Aeronautics Romanian Association is a non-governmental organization that promotes aerospace projects as well as other space-related activities. ... Armadillo Aerospace is an aerospace startup company based in Mesquite, Texas. ... The Canadian Arrow is a privately funded rocket and space travel project founded by London, Ontario, Canada entrepreneur Geoff Sheerin. ... The da Vinci Project is a privately-funded, volunteer-staffed attempt to launch a reusable manned suborbital spacecraft. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Rocketplane Limited, Inc. ... Scaled Composites (often abbreviated as Scaled), formerly the Rutan Aircraft Factory, is located at the Mojave Spaceport, Mojave, California, United States and is headed by aircraft designer Burt Rutan. ... Tier One is Scaled Composites program of suborbital human spaceflight using the reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne and its launcher White Knight. ... Space Transport Corporation, or STC, is a company based in Forks, Washington whose goal is to commercialize space. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA, TYO: 7661) is a major aerospace and defense corporation, originally founded by William Edward Boeing. ... Lockheed/BAE/Northrop F-35 Lockheed Trident missile C-130 Hercules; in production since the 1950s, now as the C-130J Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is an aerospace manufacturer formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. ... Currently, the most common technology for space transport is rocket propulsion, which expels matter to provide a net forward thrust. ... The X-33 was a technology demonstrator for NASAs next-generation of space launch vehicle. ... This article is about the American space agency. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...

Competition status

Representatives of the X PRIZE Foundation symbolically presented the ten million dollar prize to Burt Rutan and Paul Allen of Mojave Aerospace Ventures on November 6, 2004. The Ansari X PRIZE trophy is on the left.

The Tier One project made two successful competitive flights, X1 on September 29, 2004 piloted by Mike Melvill and X2 on October 4, 2004 piloted by Brian Binnie. They thus won the prize, which was awarded on November 6, 2004. (Note: the winning team is referred to by several names at various times: Tier One, Scaled Composites, and Mojave Aerospace Ventures.) Download high resolution version (948x572, 99 KB)Description: A symbolic $10 million check is presented to the winners of the Ansari X Prize on November 6, 2004. ... Download high resolution version (948x572, 99 KB)Description: A symbolic $10 million check is presented to the winners of the Ansari X Prize on November 6, 2004. ... Elbert Leander Burt Rutan (born June 17, 1943 in Estacada, Oregon) is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft. ... For other persons named Paul Allen, see Paul Allen (disambiguation). ... Mojave Aerospace Ventures (MAV) is a company founded by Paul Allen and Burt Rutan to handle the commercial spinoffs from the Tier One project. ... is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tier One is Scaled Composites program of suborbital human spaceflight using the reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne and its launcher White Knight. ... Flight 16P of SpaceShipOne was a spaceflight in the Tier One program that took place on September 29, 2004. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... SpaceShipOne test pilot Mike Melvill Michael W. Melvill (born November 1941) is one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites. ... Flight 17P of SpaceShipOne was a spaceflight in the Tier One program that took place on October 4, 2004. ... is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... SpaceShipOne test pilot Brian Binnie Brian Binnie is one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites. ... is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tier One is Scaled Composites program of suborbital human spaceflight using the reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne and its launcher White Knight. ... Scaled Composites (often abbreviated as Scaled), formerly the Rutan Aircraft Factory, is located at the Mojave Spaceport, Mojave, California, United States and is headed by aircraft designer Burt Rutan. ... Mojave Aerospace Ventures (MAV) is a company founded by Paul Allen and Burt Rutan to handle the commercial spinoffs from the Tier One project. ...

The trophy is currently on display in the lobby of the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle, Washington. The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame is a science fiction museum, said to be the first such museum in the world, located inside the Experience Music Project building at Seattle, Washington, USAs Seattle Center. ... “Seattle” redirects here. ...

Flight attempts by teams that did not win

Although only the Tier One team actually launched a spacecraft into suborbital space, several other teams have conducted low-altitude tests or announced future plans to launch into space:

• The da Vinci Project originally announced that their first flight would be on October 2, 2004, but this was postponed indefinitely on September 23, 2004, as they were unable to obtain a few necessary components in time. They have not announced a revised timetable.
• The Canadian Arrow team conducted a successful full-power engine test in 2005 and announced on June 2, 2005, that it had received permission from the Canadian government to use Cape Rich as a future launch site.
• On August 8, 2004, Space Transport Corporation's Rubicon 1 and Armadillo Aerospace's test vehicle, in two separate unmanned test launches, both crashed and were destroyed.
• On February 15, 2005, AERA Corporation (Formerly American Astronautics) announced its plans to send seven paying passengers into space as early as 2006, a full year before the first Virgin Galactic flight.

The da Vinci Project is a privately-funded, volunteer-staffed attempt to launch a reusable manned suborbital spacecraft. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 266th day of the year (267th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Canadian Arrow is a privately funded rocket and space travel project founded by London, Ontario, Canada entrepreneur Geoff Sheerin. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Armadillo Aerospace is an aerospace startup company based in Mesquite, Texas. ... is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... AERA Corporation refers to a prospective space tourism company that claims it will operate the the safest space flight system ever created. ... Virgin Galactic is a company within Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group, which plans to offer sub-orbital spaceflights and later orbital spaceflights to the paying public. ...

List of major donors by order of donation

• Anousheh Ansari and Amir Ansari
• First USA (J.P. Morgan Chase), $1,000,000 USD
• New Spirit of St. Louis Organization
• Danforth Foundation, $500,000 USD
• Tom Clancy, $100K–$500K
• J.S. McDonnell (McDonnell Douglas)
• Andrew Taylor (Enterprise Rent-A-Car)
• Andrew Beal (Beal Bank)
• St. Louis Science Center

Anousheh Ansari (Persian: , born 12 September 1966) is the Iranian-American co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems, Inc. ... Amir Ansari Amir Ansari is co-founder of venture capital firm Prodea. ... J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. ... The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ... For other uses, see The Spirit of St. ... Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. ... James Smith McDonnell (April 9, 1899 - August 22, 1980) was an aviation pioneer and founder of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, later McDonnell Douglas. ... DC-10, retired from American Airlines fleet at gate McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. ... The Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company is a privately held St. ... Andrew Andy Beal (born 1952) is a Dallas, Texas-based businessman. ... The James S. McDonnell Planetarium, thin-shell and hyperboloid structure by Gyo Obata, one component of the St. ...

Organization

With the Ansari X PRIZE, the X PRIZE Foundation (based in Santa Monica, CA) established a philanthropic model in which offering a prize for achieving a specific goal stimulates entrepreneurial investment that produces a 10 times or greater return on the prize purse and at least 100 times in follow-on investment and social benefit. The Foundation has developed into a non-profit prize institute that conceives, designs and manages public competitions for the benefit of humanity. The original Ansari X Prize was presented on November 6, 2004. ...

Spinoffs

The success of the X PRIZE competition has spurred spinoffs that are set up in the same way. There have been two major spinoffs at this point, the first of which is the M Prize (short for Methuselah Mouse Prize), which is a prize set up by University of Cambridge biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey which will go to the scientific team that successfully extends the life or reverses the aging of mice, which would then eventually be available to humans. The second is the NASA Centennial Challenges, which consist of (among others) the Tether Challenge in which teams compete to develop superstrong tethers as a component to space elevators, and the Beam Power Challenge which encourages ideas for transmitting power wirelessly. The X PRIZE foundation itself is developing additional prizes, including one around genomics, and another around energy -- the Automotive X PRIZE. There is also a possible "H-Prize", focused on hydrogen vehicle research, although this goal has already been addressed by H.R. 5143, an X-Prize-inspired bill passed by the House of Representatives. The Methuselah Mouse Prize or Mprize is a growing $3. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... Gerontology is the study of the elderly, and of the aging process itself. ... Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey, Ph. ... The Centennial Challenges are NASA inducement prize contests for non-government-funded technological achievements by American teams. ... Elevator:2010 is a competition with monetary prizes similar to the Ansari X Prize, but with the purpose of developing space elevator and space elevator-related technologies. ... A space elevator would consist of a cable anchored to the Earths surface, reaching into space. ... Elevator:2010 is a competition with monetary prizes similar to the Ansari X Prize, but with the purpose of developing space elevator and space elevator-related technologies. ... The Hydrogen Prize is a financial award to encourage research into hydrogen as an alternative fuel. ... Sequel, a fuel cell-powered vehicle from General Motors A Hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle, such as an automobile, aircraft, or any other kind of vehicle that uses hydrogen as its primary source of power for locomotion. ...

See also

• NASA Centennial Challenges
• List of prizes
• Prizes named after people
• America's Space Prize
• Methuselah Mouse Prize, or M Prize (modeled after the Ansari X PRIZE)
• Space Ship One

Related technical topics: The Centennial Challenges are NASA inducement prize contests for non-government-funded technological achievements by American teams. ... A list of famous prizes, medals, and awards including cups, trophies, bowls, badges, state decorations etc. ... This is a list of prizes that are named after people. ... The Americas Space Prize Logo Americas Space Prize is a US$50 million orbital spaceflight competition established and funded by hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow. ... The Methuselah Mouse Prize or Mprize is a growing $3. ... SpaceShipOne is small, having a three-person cabin and short but wide wings. ...

• Specific impulse
• Tsiolkovsky equation
• Delta V

Specific impulse (usually abbreviated Isp) is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines. ... Tsiolkovskys rocket equation, named after Konstantin Tsiolkovsky who first derived it, considers the principle of a rocket: a device that can apply an acceleration to itself (a thrust) by expelling part of its mass with high speed in the opposite direction, due to the conservation of momentum. ... In general physics, delta-v is simply the change in velocity. ...

Further reading

1. "The X PRIZE", an article by Ian Parker on pages 52 – 63 of the 4 October 2004 issue of The New Yorker

is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Yorker is an American magazine that publishes reportage, criticism, essays, cartoons, poetry and fiction. ...

External links

• Wirefly X PRIZE official site
• X PRIZE founder talks about the prize and the future of space travel (MIT Video)
• Ansari X PRIZE Space Race News
• Automotive X PRIZE
• Yahoo! News - SpaceShipOne Readies Run at $10 Mln Prize
• (Rubicon 1 un-manned test) X-prize contender rocket explodes
• Tier One (SpaceShipOne) Homepage
• Going Private: The Promise and Danger of Space Travel -- a study of the future of spaceflight and its possible risks
• FAI Rules for Astronautic Record Attempts
• press release: SpaceShipOne reaches over 360,000 feet to win the $10 million ANSARI X PRIZE
• Space Enterprise Network
• Interview with Mark Goodstein, Executive Director of the Automotive X PRIZE on new energy X PRIZE
• Black Sky: The Race for Space (Internet Movie Database listing)
• Black Sky: Winning the X PRIZE (Internet Movie Database listing)
• The NeXt-Prize: An interview with Peter Diamandis