The Teams: Successful Flights

The Ansari X Prize garnered teams from countries as varied as Russia, Canada, Romania, Israel, England, Argentina and the United States. Contrary to the expectation that big aerospace companies would jump to get involved, many of the teams' companies were founded after the announcement of the contest, and teams often consisted of their founders. When Scaled Composites' SpaceShipOne took the prize, more than 20 teams were registered. Most only managed to complete the design or build the spacecraft, but a few did have test flights with demonstrator rockets -- some successful, others not so successful. Here's a breakdown of the successful ones:

WINNER: Scaled Composites LLC
Mojave, California
Vehicle: SpaceShipOne, a 16.4-foot (~5-meter) rocket launched mid-air from carrier aircraft White Knight
Team Leader: Burt Rutan
Web Site: www.scaled.com

Photo courtesy Ansari X Prize Pilot Mike Melville atop SpaceShipOne

The Ship
Design: Two-stage rocket based on the German V-2
Length: 82 feet (25 meters) first stage, 16.4 feet (5 meters) second stage
Cabin: Pressurized to the point that you could be comfortable in a short-sleeved shirt
Number of Engines: Two turbojets (first stage), one rocket (second stage)
Propulsion System: Afterburning engine (first stage), hybrid engine (second stage)
Thrust: 7,700 pounds (first stage)
Reaction Control System: Cold pressurized CO₂ gas


The Flight
Launch Site: Mojave, California
Ascent Method: Carrier aircraft
Ascent Duration: 60 minutes
Altitude at Ignition: 53,000 feet (~16,000 meters)
Maximum Acceleration Force on Ascent: 3 to 4 g (the force of gravity)
Time of Engine Cut-off: 65 seconds
Maximum Speed: Mach 3.5
Maximum Altitude: 62 miles (~100 km)
Time in Weightless Conditions: 3.5 minutes
Re-entry Method: Ballistic
Acceleration Force on Descent: 5 g maximum; over 4 g for 20 seconds
Landing Method: Unpowered horizontal
Total Duration: 90 minutes
Landing Distance from Take-off: 0 miles

Photo courtesy Scaled Composites, LLC SpaceShipOne

To learn much more about SpaceShipOne and its flights, see How SpaceShipOne Works.

GoldenPalace.com Space Program
da Vinci Project
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Vehicle: Wild Fire, a 16-foot (~9-meter) rocket launched mid-air from a huge helium balloon
Team Leader: Brian Feeney
Web Site: www.davinciproject.com

Photo courtesy da Vinci Project The da Vinci rocket

Photo courtesy da Vinci Project Beginning of construction on the da Vinci rocket

The Ship
Length: 26 feet (~8 meters)
Diameter: 78 inches (~198 cm)
Take-off Weight: 8,500 pounds (~3,856 kg)
Cabin: Spherical; pressurized to 1 atm with pressure suits
Propulsion System: One pressure-fed rocket engine
Propellants: Nitrous oxide ("laughing gas") and solid fuel
Total Thrust: 18,000 pounds
Reaction Control System: Cold gas nitrogen with GPS and INS for flight guidance

The Flight
Ascent Method: Reusable helium balloon
Ascent Duration: 90-120 minutes
Altitude at Ignition: 70-80,000 feet (21,336-24,384 meters)
Orientation at Ignition: 75 degrees; 90 degrees after eight seconds
Maximum Acceleration Force on Ascent: 3.5 g
Altitude at Engine Cut-off: 206,000 feet (~62,800 meters)
Time at Engine Cut-off: 90 seconds
Maximum Speed: 2,670 miles per hour (~4,300 kph)
Maximum Altitude: 377,000 feet (115 km)
Time in Weightless Conditions: 3.5 minutes
Re-entry Method: Cabin capsule and propulsion section enter separately
Acceleration Force on Descent: Maximum of 6.75 g, more than 3 g for 20 seconds
Landing Method: Parachutes are released before landing on air bags
Total Duration: 90-110 minutes
Landing Distance from Take-off Location: 31-62 miles (50-100 kilometers) depending on the wind

Photo courtesy da Vinci Project the da Vinci Team

High Altitude Research Corporation (HARC)
Huntsville, Alabama
Vehicle: Liberator, a 40-foot-tall (~12-meter) rocket launched vertically from an ocean-going vessel
Team Leader: Tim Pickens
Web Site: www.harcspace.com

The Ship
Design: Two-stage rocket based on the German V-2
Length: 43 feet (~13 meters)
Diameter: 4 feet (~1.2 meters)
Take-off Weight: 10,000 pounds (~4,500 kg)
Cabin: Pressurized with suits
Engines: Two liquid, one hybrid in the escape tower
Propulsion System: Kerosene/LOX pressure-fed rocket engine
Fuel & Oxidizer: Liquid oxygen
Thrust: 24,000 pounds
Reaction Control System: Cold gas thrusters


The Flight
Launch Site: Ocean-going barge or ship
Ascent Method: Rocket fires for 57 seconds; cabin capsule coasts to 107 kilometers (~66 miles)
Ascent Duration: 189 seconds
Altitude at Ignition: 0 feet
Orientation at Ignition: Within two degrees of vertical
Maximum Acceleration Force on Ascent: 5 g
Altitude at Engine Cut-off: 29 kilometers (~18 miles)
Time at First-stage Engine Cut-off: T+57 seconds
Maximum Speed: 1,263 meters per second (~4,144 feet per second)
Maximum Altitude: 107 kilometers (~66 miles)
Time in Weightless Conditions: 4 minutes
Re-entry Method: Ballistic
Maximum Acceleration Force on Descent: 5 g
Landing Method: Parachute descent into the ocean
Total Duration: 10 minutes
Landing Distance from Take-off Location: 16 kilometers (~10 miles)

Aeronautics & Cosmonautics Romanian Association (ARCA)
Ramnicu Valcea, Romania
Vehicle: Orizont, a 55.7-foot (17-meter) rocket launched vertically from the ground
Team Leader: Dumitru Popescu
Web Site: www.arcaspace.ro

The Ship
Design: One-stage, vertically launched rocket
Length: 55.7 feet (17 meters)
Width (Span): 4.3 feet (1.3 meters)
Take-off Weight: 15,430 pounds (7,000 kilograms)
Cabin: Pressurized to 1 atm
Number of Engines: 4
Propulsion System: Uncooled, pump-fed
Fuel & Oxidizer: HTPB, hydrogen peroxide
Thrust: 27,000 pounds
Reaction Control System: Hydrogen-peroxide, low-thrust engines


The Flight
Ascent Method: Vertical lift-off
Maximum Acceleration Force on Ascent: 5 g
Altitude at Engine Cut-off: Over 130,000 feet (~40,000 meters)
Time at Engine Cut-off: T+220 seconds
Maximum Speed: 2,900 miles per hour (1,300 meters per second)
Maximum Altitude: Over 62 miles (100 kilometers)
Time in Weightless Conditions: 2 minutes
Re-entry Method: Parachutes released at 2.5 miles (4 kilometers)
Acceleration Force on Descent: 4 g
Landing Method: Parachute recovery
Landing Distance from Take-off Location: 31.3 miles (50 kilometers)