Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne
for aerodynamic testing.]]SpaceShipOne is an experimental spaceplane, which on June 21 2004 made the first privately-funded human spaceflight (for which see the separate article on SpaceShipOne flight 15P). It is an air launched suborbital spaceplane, using a hybrid rocket motor. It has been developed by Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan's aviation company, in their Tier One program, with no government funding.
SpaceShipOne is a leading contender for the Ansari X Prize, the prize for the first non-governmental reusable manned spacecraft. It is anticipated to win the prize on October 4 2004, the 47th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1.
This article is about flights made by SpaceShipOne. For information on the design of SpaceShipOne, see the separate article on Tier One.
| Table of contents |
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2 Design changes 3 Pilots 4 Flights 5 External links |
SpaceShipOne is registered with the FAA as N328KF. 'N' is the prefix for US-registered aircraft; '328KF' stands for 328 thousand (K) feet (approximately 100 kilometers, the officially designated edge of space). The original choice of registry number, N100KM, was already taken. It is registered as a glider, reflecting the fact that most of its independent flight is unpowered.
All the SpaceShipOne flights have been based at the Mojave Airport Civilian Flight Test Center.
SpaceShipOne made its first flight, flight 01C, on May 20 2003. It was an uncrewed captive carry flight test. Glide tests followed, starting with flight 03G on August 7 2003. The first powered flight, flight 11P, was made on December 17 2003, the 100th anniversary of the first ever powered flight by the Wright Brothers.
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. On June 17 2004 Mojave Airport reclassified itself (part-time) as the Mojave Spaceport.
Flight 15P on June 21 2004 was SpaceShipOne's first spaceflight, and the first privately-funded human spaceflight. This was a successful test flight, with a couple of technical problems, now resolved. Scaled Composites reports that the next flights (16P and 17P) will be attempting to win the X Prize. If either of those is not successful, they may make a third competitive flight.
Prior to flight 15P, the aft end of the spacecraft had an abrupt cutoff, with the rocket nozzle protruding from the nearly-flat rear end. This turned out to be aerodynamically disadvantageous, so on flight 15P an additional fairing was added, smoothly extending the fuselage shape to meet the flared end of the nozzle. On that flight, the lower part of the new fairing crumpled during boost. It can be expected that future flights will use a new version of the fairing, but returning to the previous shape remains a possibility.
The SpaceShipOne pilots are:
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.
History
Design changes
Pilots
Flights
carrying SpaceShipOne to altitude, about 14 km, as demonstrated in this captive carry test of the two-vehicle system. The two vehicles have identical cockpits, as can be seen from the pattern of windows.]]
Flights of SpaceShipOne are numbered, starting with flight 01 on May 20 2003. One or two letters are appended to the number to indicate the type of mission. An appended C indicates that the flight was a captive carry, G indicates an unpowered glide, and P indicates a powered flight. If the flight actually flown differs in category from the intended flight then two letters are appended, the first giving the intended mission and the second the mission actually performed.
| Flight | Date | Top Speed | Altitude | Pilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01C | May 20 2003 | uncrewed | ||
| 02C | July 29 2003 | Mike Melvill | ||
| 03G | August 7 2003 | Mike Melvill | ||
| 04GC | August 27 2003 | Mike Melvill | ||
| 05G | August 27 2003 | Mike Melvill | ||
| 06G | September 23 2003 | Mike Melvill | ||
| 07G | October 17 2003 | Mike Melvill | ||
| 08G | November 14 2003 | Peter Siebold | ||
| 09G | November 19 2003 | Mike Melvill | ||
| 10G | December 4 2003 | Brian Binnie | ||
| 11P | December 17 2003 | Mach 1.2 | 20.7 km | Brian Binnie |
| 12G | March 11 2004 | Peter Siebold | ||
| 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 |
| 16P | September 29 2004 | pending | ||
| 17P | October 4 2004 | pending |
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