White Knight and SpaceShipOne.
Photo by Samuel Coniglio

October 4, 2004

A team led by famous aerospace designer Burt Rutan and financed by Paul Allen won the $10 million Ansari X-Prize. Their rocketplane, SpaceShipOne, flew into space 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) above the Earth twice in a two week period to win the prize. The rules required that both flights be piloted and carry two passengers or an equivalent weight.

It is hoped that advancements pioneered by the contestants for this prize will lead to commercial passenger carrying spacecraft.