X-Prize
The X-Prize competition was an attempt to promote commercial civilian spaceflight in a manner similar to the prizes handed out in the early days of aviation. Ten million dollars was to go to the first team to fly a vehicle capable of launching three people into space (defined as an altitude of 100 km in a suborbital trajectory), twice in a two-week period. The vehicle had to be 90% reusable by dry mass. For purposes of the two flights, the competition accepted flight by one person and ballast equivalent to two others at 90 kg per passenger.
Ascender The Bristol Spaceplanes Ascender of the 1990's was a sub-orbital manned spaceplane concept proposed by David Ashford. The Ascender spaceplane would use a small Viper turbojet engine as well as a main liquid fuel rocket engine. The Ascender would act as a technology demonstrator for the orbiter of the orbital Spacecab concept. In 2001 Ashford proposed the design as an X-Prize contender. However adequate funding was still not forthcoming for development.
Cosmopolis 21 On 15 March 2002 Space Adventures unveiled the mock-up of their C-21 (Cosmopolis 21) spaceplane at Zhukovskiy Air Base, Moscow. They announced it would be ready to take paying passengers (at $98,000 per ticket) on suborbital flights to 100 km altitude in 2004. The spaceplane, designed by the Myasishchev Design Bureau, would be carried to 27 km altitude by the firm's M-55X Geofizika high altitude aircraft. It would then separate and use its rocket engine to take the pilot and two passengers for a ride to 100 km including three minutes of weightlessness.
Aurora X-Prize X-Prize suborbital spaceplane concept of Fundamental Technology Systems, Orlando, Florida.
Black Armadillo X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of Armadillo Aerospace, Mesquite, Texas. Reached the stage of engineering tests by 2003.
Canadian Arrow X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of Geoff Sheerin, Toronto. Reached the stage of engineering tests by 2003.
Cosmos Mariner X-Prize suborbital spaceplane concept of Lone Star Space Access, Houston, Texas.
Crusader X X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of Micro-Space, Inc of Denver, Colorado.
Eagle X-Prize X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of Vanguard Spacecraft of Bridgewater, Massachusetts.
  Gauchito X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of Pablo De Leon of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Reached the stage of engineering tests by 2003.
  Kitten X-Prize suborbital rocketplane concept of Kittyhawk of Oroville, Washington.
LB-X X-Prize suborbital spaceplane concept of Kelly Space & Technology, San Bernardino, California.
Liberator X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of HARC, Huntsville, Alabama.
Lucky Seven X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of Acceleration Engineering, Bath, Michigan.
Mayflower X-Prize suborbital seaplane-spacecraft of Advent Launch Services of Houston, Texas. Reached the stage of engineering tests by 2003.
Michelle-B X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of TGV Rockets, Bethesda, Maryland. As of 2005, flight testing of the Michelle-B was expected to begin no earlier than 2007.
Negev 5 X-Prize suborbital balloon-launched ballistic spacecraft concept of IL Aerospace Technologies (ILAT), Israel.
Orizont X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of Aeronautics and Cosmonautics Romanian Association. Reached the stage of engineering tests by 2003.
Pioneer XP X-Prize suborbital spaceplane concept of Pioneer Rocketplane, Solvang, California. No backing forthcoming.
Rubicon X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of STC.
SabreRocket X-Prize suborbital spaceplane concept of Panaero, Fairfax, Virginia. It envisioned conversion of a Sabre-40 business jet to rocket power.
Solaris X X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of Interorbital Systems of Mojave, California.
SpaceShipOne X-Prize suborbital spaceplane concept of Scaled Composites, Mojave, California. Thanks to financing by Paul Allen, this entered flight test in 2002 and was poised for the first civilian spaceflight in June 2004.
Starchaser 5 X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of Starchaser Industries, Cheshire, England. The concept used a rocket powered vertical takeoff followed by a parachute descent to land. This reached an advanced stage of engine and component hardware test in the course of 2003 and was set for first flight in 2004. However the total vehicle never progressed beyond mock-up stage before SpaceShipOne won the X-Prize. As of 2006, Starchaser was formulating a new business plan, and seeking investors to allow it to complete development of a suborbital space tourism spacecraft to compete with SpaceShipTwo and New Shepard.
The Green Arrow X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of Flight Exploration of London, England.
The Space Tourist X-Prize suborbital flying saucer concept of Discraft Corporation of Portland, Oregon.
The Spirit of Liberty X-Prize suborbital ballistic spacecraft concept of American Astronautics Corporation, Oceanside, California.
Wild Fire X-Prize suborbital balloon-launched ballistic spacecraft concept of the Da Vinci Project, led by Brian Feeney of Toronto, Canada. Reached the stage of engineering tests by 2003.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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