Spaceship One: Revolutionizing Space Travel through Private Enterprise

Spaceship One, designed by Bert Rutan and funded by Paul Allen, aims to win the X Prize by launching a non-government craft into space twice within two weeks. It successfully reached over 100 kilometers altitude. Despite a smaller budget compared to NASA's $440 million per shuttle flight, Spaceship One's cost was $20-30 million. The craft, a rocket-powered plane, was lifted by a mothercraft to 13.8 kilometers. Cheaper flights could make space travel more accessible. Pilot Mike Melville experienced weightlessness for 3.5 minutes.

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