Yesterday Scaled Composites’ SpaceShipOne made history as the first private craft to fly into space. As Scaled Composites reports in its official press release,
Under the command of test pilot Mike Melvill, SpaceShipOne reached a record breaking altitude of 328,491 feet (approximately 62 miles or 100 km), making Melvill the first civilian to fly a spaceship out of the atmosphere and the first private pilot to earn astronaut wings.
The flight was apparently not flawless, as some control issues were experienced during the ascent. However, it seems clear that this team is a leading contender to win the prestigious X Prize, which awards $10 million to the first team to fly three people (or an equivalent weight) into space twice in two weeks.
