SpaceShipOne
SpaceShipOne is a privately funded experimental spaceplane developed by Burt Rutan's company, Scaled Composites, in their Tier One program, as their entry in the ANSARI X PRIZE competition. On June 21 2004 it made the first privately-funded human spaceflight.
Features
SpaceShipOne is designed as a suborbital spacecraft, meaning it will achieve sufficient altitude to reach space but not sufficient speed to sustain orbit. It is designed to exceed 100 km altitude, which is the international definition of the boundary to space. SpaceShipOne shares some features from earlier rocket planes.
It uses a hybrid rocket motor developed by SPACEDEV Inc., using hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene (rubber) solid fuel with liquid nitrous oxide as an oxidiser.
It does not launch from the ground. It is air-launched by being released from the jet-powered aircraft White Knight at altitude.
For reentry the wings can be swivelled from horizontal to nearly vertical to provide a stable high-drag configuration. This is referred to as "wing feathering", and Scaled Composites describe the result as "care-free reentry".
The cockpit has space for three people, the pilot and two passengers. It maintains a sea-level pressurized breathable atmosphere, so the occupants do not need to wear spacesuits.
Flight modes
SpaceShipOne flies in three significant modes: mated to White Knight, gliding, and rocket-propelled.
SpaceShipOne is not capable of independent takeoff from the ground. For takeoff it is carried under White Knight. The combination of SpaceShipOne and White Knight can take off, land, and fly under jet power to high altitude.
When separated from White Knight in the air, and with its rocket engine not operating, SpaceShipOne is a glider. It is registered with the FAA as a glider, reflecting the fact that most of its independent flight occurs in this mode.
SpaceShipOne's sole means of propulsion is its single hybrid rocket engine. This engine produces the enormous thrust necessary to propel the craft out of the atmosphere. Scaled Composites has not published engine performance statistics.
Development
The costs of development and construction for SpaceShipOne, although not publicly released, are estimated to be in the range of 20 million dollars (US), roughly twice the value of the ANSARI X PRIZE award. Paul Allen, a cofounder of Microsoft, is the sole source of the funding.
Test flights
On April 1, 2004, Scaled Composites received the first license for sub-orbital piloted rocket flights to be issued by the US Department of Transportation. This license permits the company to conduct powered test flights for a period of one year.
All the SpaceShipOne flights have been based at the Mojave Airport Civilian Flight Test Center which reclassified itself (part-time) as the Mojave Spaceport on June 17, 2004.
SpaceShipOne is registered with the FAA as N328KF when the original choice of N100KM was already taken. 'N' is the prefix for US-registered aircraft; '328KF' stands for 328 thousand (K) feet (approximately 100 kilometers, the officially designated edge of space).
Test pilots for the SpaceShipOne project were Brian Binnie, Peter Siebold, Mike Melvill, and Doug Shane.
Flight 15P was SpaceShipOne's first spaceflight, and the first privately-funded human spaceflight. Whilst this was a successful test flight, it had several technical problems, and SpaceShipOne is now being closely examined for technical defects in order to rectify them prior to making an X Prize attempt.
In the table below, the "top speed" reported is the Mach number at burn-out (the end of the rocket burn). This is not an absolute speed.
| SpaceShipOne powered test flights | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | Date | Top Speed | Altitude | Pilot |
| 11P | December 17, 2003 | Mach 1.2 | 20.7 km | Brian Binnie |
| 13P | April 8, 2004 | Mach 1.6 | 32.0 km | Peter Siebold |
| 14P | May 13, 2004 | Mach 2.5 | 64.3 km | Mike Melvill |
| 15P | June 21, 2004 | Mach 2.9 | 100.1 km | Mike Melvill |
External links
- SpaceShipOne at Scaled Composites's website
- SpaceShipOne video footage at the BBC News website (requires Real player; this is not the 100km flight, but an earlier, shorter test flight, probably flight 14P)
- Private Craft to Shoot for Space by Irene Mona Klotz, Discovery News
- June 21, 2004 Launch Photos