NPR's Alex Chadwick talks to Day to Day technology correspondent Xeni Jardin about the second flight of SpaceShipOne, the first commercially sponsored spacecraft. With the success of the second ...

Are we witnessing the birth of a commercial space flight industry? Day to Day technology contributor Xeni Jardin reports on Wednesday's launch of SpaceShipOne. The craft is the top competitor in ...

MOJAVE, CALIFORNIA - The White Knight mothership that cradles SpaceShipOne is airborne and headed for the second of two flights to cash in on the $10 million Ansari X Prize. Piloting SpaceShipOne ...

She went on to call the SpaceShipOne flights "a giant leap for all of us." Making it pay Winning the X Prize should bring the first substantial payback for Allen, who has said he's invested more ...

SpaceShipOne glides back to Earth after its second flight into suborbital space. Jim Campbell, Aero-News Network SpaceShipOne and a chaser plane return for landing.

SpaceShipOne, seen here after its first flight in June, will take to the skies again tonight (Image: Reuters/Mike Blake) Related Stories Space flight enters private era , Science Online, 22 Jun 2004 ...

SpaceShipOne's most recent flight on May 13, piloted by Mike Melvill, reached a height of 211,400 feet (64.4 kilometers) — higher than any private plane had gone before.

The only privately-developed spacecraft to carry a pilot to suporbital space, SpaceShipOne made three successful flights in 2004. Built by aerospace visionary Burt Rutan and financed by Microsoft ...

Burt Rutan reflects on the wake left by the pioneering SpaceShipOne flights, the winning of the Ansari X Prize, and a glimpse at the road ahead. "Our big milestone of 2004 occurred on June 21, ...

SpaceShipOne’s creators said the Komet, built by Nazi Germany but never used for a manned flight, was an inspiration for the design, Hunt said. “That is in direct lineage,” he said.

SpaceShipOne (search) is one flight away from clinching the Ansari X Prize (search), a $10 million award for the first privately developed manned rocket to reach space twice within 14 days.

As maverick California aircraft designer Burt Rutan sees it, there's little left to prove — just an impressive $10 million prize and an attractive trophy to collect. He'll attempt that this week ...