Ansari X Prize
Encyclopedia
The Ansari X Prize was a space competition
in which the X Prize Foundation
offered a US$
10,000,000 prize
for the first non-government organization
to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space
twice within two weeks. It was modeled after early 20th-century aviation
prizes, and aimed to spur development of low-cost spaceflight.
Created in May 1996 and initially called just the "X Prize", it was renamed the "Ansari X Prize" on May 6, 2004 following a multi-million dollar donation
from entrepreneur
s Anousheh Ansari
and Amir Ansari
.
The prize was won on October 4, 2004, the 47th anniversary of the Sputnik 1
launch, by the Tier One
project designed by Burt Rutan
and financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen
, using the experimental spaceplane
SpaceShipOne. $10 million was awarded to the winner, but more than $100 million was invested in new technologies in pursuit of the prize.
Several other X Prizes have since been announced by the X Prize Foundation
, promoting further development in space exploration and other technological fields.
in an address to the NSS
International Space Development Conference
in 1995. The competition goal was adopted from the SpaceCub
project, demonstration of a private vehicle capable of flying a pilot to the edge of space, defined as 100 km altitude. This goal was selected to help encourage the space industry in the private sector
, which is why the entries were not allowed to have any government funding. It aimed to demonstrate that spaceflight
can be affordable and accessible to corporations and civilians, opening the door to commercial spaceflight
and space tourism
. It is also hoped that competition will breed innovation
, introducing new low-cost methods of reaching Earth orbit, and ultimately pioneering low-cost space travel
and unfettered human expansion
into the solar system
.
The X Prize was modeled after many prizes from the early 20th century that helped prod the development of air flight
, including most notably the US$25,000 Orteig Prize
that spurred Charles Lindbergh
to make his solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean
. NASA
is developing a similar prize program called Centennial Challenges
to generate innovative solutions to space technology
problems.
This contestant list notably did not include traditional space access companies like Boeing
and Lockheed
, which many in the industry believe to be incapable of replacing their present space transportation vehicles with low-cost alternatives. These critics claim as evidence the companies' several failed attempts to do so, such as the X-33 project, on contract from NASA
and other U.S.
government agencies. However, the X Prize Foundation itself did not ban these companies from applying, so long as they could prove their efforts on this project would be free of government funding.
The Tier One
project made two successful competitive flights: X1
on September 29, 2004, piloted by Mike Melvill
to 102.9 km; and X2
on October 4, 2004, piloted by Brian Binnie
to 112 km. They thus won the prize, which was awarded on November 6, 2004. In press coverage, the winning team has been variously referred to as Mojave Aerospace Ventures
, the corporation that funded the attempt; Tier One
, the project name of Mojave's contest entry; and Scaled Composites
, the manufacturer of the craft.
As of 2011, the trophy is on display in the Saint Louis Science Center in St.Louis, Missouri.
(based in Santa Monica, CA) established a philanthropic model in which offering a prize for achieving a specific goal stimulates entrepreneurial investment that produces a tenfold or greater return on the prize purse and at least one hundredfold in follow-on investment and social benefit. The Foundation has developed into a non-profit prize institute that conceives, designs and manages public competitions for the benefit of humanity.
10,000,000 prize
was unconventional in being "backed by an insurance policy to guarantee that the $10 million is in place on the day that the prize is won." Diamandis referred to this as a "hole-in-one insurance policy".
biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey
which will go to the scientific team that successfully extends the life or reverses the aging of mice, which would then eventually be available to humans. The second is the NASA Centennial Challenges
, which consist of (among others) the Tether Challenge in which teams compete to develop superstrong tethers as a component to space elevator
s, and the Beam Power Challenge which encourages ideas for transmitting power wirelessly. An independent spin-off called the N-Prize
was started by Cambridge
Microbiologist
Paul H. Dear in 2007, designed to foster research into low-cost orbital launchers.
The X Prize foundation itself is developing additional prizes: the Archon X Prize
, to advance research in the field of genomics
; the Automotive X Prize
, an engineering competition to create a fuel efficient clean car; the Google Lunar X Prize
, a competition to put a robot on the moon; and the Wirefly X Prize Cup, an annually held air & space exposition featuring space-related competitions and rocketry.
There is also a possible "H-Prize", focused on hydrogen vehicle
research, although this goal has been addressed by H.R. 5143, an X-Prize-inspired bill passed by the United States House of Representatives
.
Related technical topics:
Archon X Prize for Genomics:
Space competition
Space prize redirects here. For the literature prize, see Howard E. Day PrizeA space competition is an offer of a prize to be given to the first competitor who demonstrates a space vehicle, or a space exploration apparatus, which meets a set of pre-established criteria...
in which the X Prize Foundation
X Prize Foundation
The X PRIZE Foundation is a non-profit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit mankind....
offered a US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10,000,000 prize
Prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people to recognise and reward actions or achievements. Official prizes often involve monetary rewards as well as the fame that comes with them...
for the first non-government organization
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
twice within two weeks. It was modeled after early 20th-century aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
prizes, and aimed to spur development of low-cost spaceflight.
Created in May 1996 and initially called just the "X Prize", it was renamed the "Ansari X Prize" on May 6, 2004 following a multi-million dollar donation
Donation
A donation is a gift given by physical or legal persons, typically for charitable purposes and/or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including cash, services, new or used goods including clothing, toys, food, and vehicles...
from entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
s Anousheh Ansari
Anousheh Ansari
Anousheh Ansari is an engineer and the Iranian-American co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems. Her previous business accomplishments include serving as co-founder and CEO of Telecom Technologies, Inc. . The Ansari family is also the title sponsor of the Ansari X Prize. On September 18, 2006,...
and Amir Ansari
Amir Ansari
Amir Ansari is co-founder of venture capital firm Prodea Systems, Inc. Along with his sister-in-law Anousheh Ansari, he made a multi-million dollar contribution to the X PRIZE foundation on May 5, 2004, the 43rd anniversary of Alan Shepard's sub-orbital spaceflight...
.
The prize was won on October 4, 2004, the 47th anniversary of the Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 ) was the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1s success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space...
launch, by the Tier One
Tier One
Tier One is Scaled Composites' program of suborbital human spaceflight using the reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne and its launcher White Knight. The craft was designed by Burt Rutan, and the project is funded 20 million US Dollars by Paul Allen...
project designed by Burt Rutan
Burt Rutan
Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft...
and financed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen
Paul Allen
Paul Gardner Allen is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. Allen co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates...
, using the experimental spaceplane
Spaceplane
A spaceplane is a vehicle that operates as an aircraft in Earth's atmosphere, as well as a spacecraft when it is in space. It combines features of an aircraft and a spacecraft, which can be thought of as an aircraft that can endure and maneuver in the vacuum of space or likewise a spacecraft that...
SpaceShipOne. $10 million was awarded to the winner, but more than $100 million was invested in new technologies in pursuit of the prize.
Several other X Prizes have since been announced by the X Prize Foundation
X Prize Foundation
The X PRIZE Foundation is a non-profit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit mankind....
, promoting further development in space exploration and other technological fields.
Motivation
The X Prize was first proposed by Dr. Peter DiamandisPeter Diamandis
Dr. Peter H. Diamandis , of Greek immigrant parents, is considered a key figure in the development of the personal spaceflight industry, having created many space-related businesses or organizations...
in an address to the NSS
National Space Society
The National Space Society is an international nonprofit 501, educational, and scientific organization specializing in space advocacy...
International Space Development Conference
International Space Development Conference
The International Space Development Conference is the annual conference of the National Space Society . Now in its 30th year, these conferences connect the general public and the NSS membership with leaders of contemporary space efforts...
in 1995. The competition goal was adopted from the SpaceCub
SpaceCub
SpaceCub was a design project for a homebuilt rocket. Between 1993 and 1994, Geoffrey A. Landis proposed that a vehicle designed to launch to the edge of space might be a feasible project for a "personal" spaceship, the equivalent of a Piper Cub for space...
project, demonstration of a private vehicle capable of flying a pilot to the edge of space, defined as 100 km altitude. This goal was selected to help encourage the space industry in the private sector
Private sector
In economics, the private sector is that part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is run by private individuals or groups, usually as a means of enterprise for profit, and is not controlled by the state...
, which is why the entries were not allowed to have any government funding. It aimed to demonstrate that spaceflight
Spaceflight
Spaceflight is the act of travelling into or through outer space. Spaceflight can occur with spacecraft which may, or may not, have humans on board. Examples of human spaceflight include the Russian Soyuz program, the U.S. Space shuttle program, as well as the ongoing International Space Station...
can be affordable and accessible to corporations and civilians, opening the door to commercial spaceflight
Private spaceflight
Private spaceflight is flight above Earth altitude conducted by and paid for by an entity other than a government. In the early decades of the Space Age, the government space agencies of the Soviet Union and United States pioneered space technology augmented by collaboration with affiliated design...
and space tourism
Space tourism
Space Tourism is space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. A number of startup companies have sprung up in recent years, hoping to create a space tourism industry...
. It is also hoped that competition will breed innovation
Innovation
Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society...
, introducing new low-cost methods of reaching Earth orbit, and ultimately pioneering low-cost space travel
Spaceflight
Spaceflight is the act of travelling into or through outer space. Spaceflight can occur with spacecraft which may, or may not, have humans on board. Examples of human spaceflight include the Russian Soyuz program, the U.S. Space shuttle program, as well as the ongoing International Space Station...
and unfettered human expansion
Space colonization
Space colonization is the concept of permanent human habitation outside of Earth. Although hypothetical at the present time, there are many proposals and speculations about the first space colony...
into the solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
.
The X Prize was modeled after many prizes from the early 20th century that helped prod the development of air flight
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
, including most notably the US$25,000 Orteig Prize
Orteig Prize
The Orteig Prize was a $25,000 reward offered on May 19, 1919, by New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig to the first allied aviator to fly non-stop from New York City to Paris or vice-versa. On offer for five years, it attracted no competitors...
that spurred Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
to make his solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
is developing a similar prize program called Centennial Challenges
Centennial Challenges
The Centennial Challenges are NASA space competition prize contests for non-government-funded technological achievements by American teams.-Current Challenges:...
to generate innovative solutions to space technology
Space technology
Space technology is technology that is related to entering, and retrieving objects or life forms from space."Every day" technologies such as weather forecasting, remote sensing, GPS systems, satellite television, and some long distance communications systems critically rely on space infrastructure...
problems.
Contestants
Twenty-six teams from around the world participated, ranging from volunteer hobbyists to large corporate-backed operations:- Acceleration Engineering
- Advent Launch Services — website
- ARCASPACEARCASPACEAsociația Română pentru Cosmonautică și Aeronautică or Romanian Cosmonautics and Aeronautics Association is a non-governmental organization that promotes aerospace projects as well as other space-related activities...
— website - Armadillo AerospaceArmadillo AerospaceArmadillo Aerospace is an aerospace startup company based in Mesquite, Texas. Its initial goal is to build a manned suborbital spacecraft capable of space tourism, but it has stated long-term ambitions of orbital spaceflight. The company was founded by John Carmack.On October 24, 2008, Armadillo...
— website - American Astronautics Corporation — website
- Bristol Spaceplanes Limited — website
- Canadian ArrowCanadian ArrowThe Canadian Arrow is a privately funded rocket and space travel project founded by London, Ontario, Canada entrepreneurs Geoff Sheerin, Dan McKibbon and Chris Corke...
- The da Vinci ProjectDa Vinci ProjectThe da Vinci Project was a privately funded, volunteer-staffed attempt to launch a reusable manned suborbital spacecraft. It was formed in 1996 specifically to be a contender for the Ansari X PRIZE for the first non-governmental reusable manned spacecraft. The project was based in Toronto,...
— website - Pablo de Leon & Associates — website
- Discraft Corporation
- Flight Exploration
- Fundamental Technology Systems
- High Altitude Research Corporation — website
- IL Aerospace Technologies — website
- Interorbital SystemsInterorbital SystemsInterorbital Systems Corporation is an American aerospace company based in Mojave, California. It was founded in 1996 by Roderick and Randa Milliron, who also co-founded Trans Lunar Research....
— website - Kelly Space and Technology — website
- Lone Star Space Access Corporation — website
- Micro-Space, Inc. — website
- Len CormierLen CormierLen Cormier worked for many years in the U.S. aerospace industry, in government, large industry, and as a private entrepreneur....
's PanAero, Inc. — website - Pioneer RocketplanePioneer RocketplanePioneer Rocketplane was an aerospace design and development company intent on developing affordable manned space flight. The company is most famous for advocating a horizontal takeoff, turbo-jet and rocket propelled, aerial-refueled, rocket plane concept called the Pathfinder. The company still...
— website - Scaled CompositesScaled CompositesScaled Composites is an aerospace company founded by Burt Rutan and currently owned by Northrop Grumman that is located at the Mojave Spaceport, Mojave, California, United States...
' Tier OneTier OneTier One is Scaled Composites' program of suborbital human spaceflight using the reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne and its launcher White Knight. The craft was designed by Burt Rutan, and the project is funded 20 million US Dollars by Paul Allen...
project — Winning Team - Space Transport CorporationSpace Transport CorporationSpace Transport Corporation, or STC, was a company based in Forks, Washington whose goal is to commercialize space. The company was founded in 2002 by Eric Meier and Philip Storm. The company planned to provide small payload launch and space tourism services...
- Starchaser IndustriesStarchaser IndustriesStarchaser Industries is a privately owned company based in the UK whose principle aim is to become a viable business in space tourism. Formed in 1992, the company has designed and built several rocket systems - all prototypes - to investigate the feasibility of producing a Space Tourism Vehicle...
- website - Suborbital Corporation
- TGV Rockets — website
- Vanguard Spacecraft
- Whalen Aeronautics Inc.
This contestant list notably did not include traditional space access companies like Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
and Lockheed
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
, which many in the industry believe to be incapable of replacing their present space transportation vehicles with low-cost alternatives. These critics claim as evidence the companies' several failed attempts to do so, such as the X-33 project, on contract from NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and other U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government agencies. However, the X Prize Foundation itself did not ban these companies from applying, so long as they could prove their efforts on this project would be free of government funding.
Winning team
Tier One
Tier One is Scaled Composites' program of suborbital human spaceflight using the reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne and its launcher White Knight. The craft was designed by Burt Rutan, and the project is funded 20 million US Dollars by Paul Allen...
project made two successful competitive flights: X1
SpaceShipOne flight 16P
Flight 16P of SpaceShipOne was a spaceflight in the Tier One program that took place on September 29, 2004. It was the first competitive flight in the Ansari X PRIZE competition to demonstrate a non-governmental reusable manned spacecraft, and is hence also referred to as the X1 flight...
on September 29, 2004, piloted by Mike Melvill
Mike Melvill
Michael Winston "Mike" Melvill is one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites. Melvill piloted SpaceShipOne on its first flight past the edge of space, flight 15P on June 21, 2004, thus becoming the first commercial astronaut and the 434th...
to 102.9 km; and X2
SpaceShipOne flight 17P
Flight 17P of SpaceShipOne was a spaceflight in the Tier One program that took place on October 4, 2004. It was the second competitive flight in the Ansari X Prize competition to demonstrate a non-governmental reusable manned spacecraft, and is hence also referred to as the X2 flight...
on October 4, 2004, piloted by Brian Binnie
Brian Binnie
William Brian Binnie is a former United States Navy officer and is one of the test pilots for SpaceShipOne, the experimental spaceplane developed by Scaled Composites.-History:...
to 112 km. They thus won the prize, which was awarded on November 6, 2004. In press coverage, the winning team has been variously referred to as Mojave Aerospace Ventures
Mojave Aerospace Ventures
Mojave Aerospace Ventures is a company founded by Paul Allen and Burt Rutan to handle the commercial spinoffs from the Tier One project. It owns the intellectual property arising from Tier One, and it is in turn owned by Paul Allen and Burt Rutan...
, the corporation that funded the attempt; Tier One
Tier One
Tier One is Scaled Composites' program of suborbital human spaceflight using the reusable spacecraft SpaceShipOne and its launcher White Knight. The craft was designed by Burt Rutan, and the project is funded 20 million US Dollars by Paul Allen...
, the project name of Mojave's contest entry; and Scaled Composites
Scaled Composites
Scaled Composites is an aerospace company founded by Burt Rutan and currently owned by Northrop Grumman that is located at the Mojave Spaceport, Mojave, California, United States...
, the manufacturer of the craft.
As of 2011, the trophy is on display in the Saint Louis Science Center in St.Louis, Missouri.
Flight attempts by teams that did not win
Although only the Tier One team actually launched a spacecraft into suborbital space, several other teams have conducted low-altitude tests or announced future plans to launch into space:- The da Vinci ProjectDa Vinci ProjectThe da Vinci Project was a privately funded, volunteer-staffed attempt to launch a reusable manned suborbital spacecraft. It was formed in 1996 specifically to be a contender for the Ansari X PRIZE for the first non-governmental reusable manned spacecraft. The project was based in Toronto,...
originally announced that their first flightMaiden flightThe maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. This is similar to a ship's maiden voyage....
would be on October 2, 2004, but this was postponed indefinitely on September 23, 2004, as they were unable to obtain a few necessary components in time. They have not announced a revised timetable. - The Canadian ArrowCanadian ArrowThe Canadian Arrow is a privately funded rocket and space travel project founded by London, Ontario, Canada entrepreneurs Geoff Sheerin, Dan McKibbon and Chris Corke...
team conducted a successful full-power engine test in 2005 and announced on June 2, 2005, that it had received permission from the Canadian government to use Cape Rich as a future launch site. - On August 8, 2004, Space Transport Corporation's Rubicon 1 and Armadillo AerospaceArmadillo AerospaceArmadillo Aerospace is an aerospace startup company based in Mesquite, Texas. Its initial goal is to build a manned suborbital spacecraft capable of space tourism, but it has stated long-term ambitions of orbital spaceflight. The company was founded by John Carmack.On October 24, 2008, Armadillo...
's test vehicle, in two separate unmanned test launches, both crashed and were destroyed. - On February 15, 2005, AERA CorporationAERA CorporationAERA refers to a prospective space tourism company that claims it will operate "the safest space flight system ever created." Altairis, SACI's first generation suborbital spacecraft. It is vertically launched, lands horizontally and can send seven passengers to space. The first flight was...
(formerly American Astronautics) announced its plans to send seven paying passengers into space as early as 2006, a full year before the first announced speculative Virgin GalacticVirgin GalacticVirgin Galactic is a company within Richard Branson's Virgin Group which plans to provide sub-orbital spaceflights to the paying public, along with suborbital space science missions and orbital launches of small satellites...
flight.
List of major donors by order of donation
- Anousheh AnsariAnousheh AnsariAnousheh Ansari is an engineer and the Iranian-American co-founder and chairman of Prodea Systems. Her previous business accomplishments include serving as co-founder and CEO of Telecom Technologies, Inc. . The Ansari family is also the title sponsor of the Ansari X Prize. On September 18, 2006,...
and Amir AnsariAmir AnsariAmir Ansari is co-founder of venture capital firm Prodea Systems, Inc. Along with his sister-in-law Anousheh Ansari, he made a multi-million dollar contribution to the X PRIZE foundation on May 5, 2004, the 43rd anniversary of Alan Shepard's sub-orbital spaceflight... - First USA (J.P. Morgan Chase), US$1,000,000
- New Spirit of St. LouisSpirit of St. LouisThe Spirit of St. Louis is the custom-built, single engine, single-seat monoplane that was flown solo by Charles Lindbergh on May 20–21, 1927, on the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris for which Lindbergh won the $25,000 Orteig Prize.Lindbergh took off in the Spirit from Roosevelt...
Organization - Danforth FoundationDanforth FoundationDanforth Foundation is one of the largest private non-for profit foundations in the St. Louis Metropolitan region. The foundation has 1.5 billion USD in assets as of 2003. Established in 1927 by Ralston Purina founder William H. Danforth and his wife, the Danforth Foundation grants funds...
, US$500,000 - Tom ClancyTom ClancyThomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
, $100K–US$500,000 - Rafael MartinezRafael MartinezRafael Martinez may refer to:* Rafael E. Martinez, politician* Rafael Martínez * Rafael Martínez Aguilera, also known as Rafa Martínez, Spanish basketball player* Rafael Martínez Nadal, third president of the Senate of Puerto Rico...
, US$200,000 - J.S. McDonnellJames Smith McDonnellJames Smith "Mac" McDonnell was an American aviation pioneer and founder of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation, later McDonnell Douglas.-Early life:...
(McDonnell DouglasMcDonnell DouglasMcDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
) - Andrew Taylor (Enterprise Rent-A-CarEnterprise Rent-A-CarEnterprise Holdings, Inc. is a privately held company formed in 2009 to operate rental car subsidiaries: Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, Alamo Rent A Car, WeCar and its commercial fleet management, used car sales, and commercial truck rental operations.Enterprise Holdings was formed as...
) - Andrew BealAndrew BealD. Andrew "Andy" Beal is a Dallas, Texas-based billionaire businessman who was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. He made his fortune in banking and real estate and is the founder and chairman of Beal Bank and Beal Aerospace Technologies. Beal is also known for his high-stakes poker games and...
(Beal Bank) - St. Louis Science CenterSt. Louis Science CenterThe Saint Louis Science Center is a collection of buildings including a science museum and planetarium in St. Louis, Missouri, on the southeastern corner of Forest Park. The Planetarium opened in 1963, and it was expanded and renamed as the Saint Louis Science Center in 1983...
Organization
With the Ansari X Prize, the X Prize FoundationX Prize Foundation
The X PRIZE Foundation is a non-profit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit mankind....
(based in Santa Monica, CA) established a philanthropic model in which offering a prize for achieving a specific goal stimulates entrepreneurial investment that produces a tenfold or greater return on the prize purse and at least one hundredfold in follow-on investment and social benefit. The Foundation has developed into a non-profit prize institute that conceives, designs and manages public competitions for the benefit of humanity.
Funding
The funding for the US$United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10,000,000 prize
Prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people to recognise and reward actions or achievements. Official prizes often involve monetary rewards as well as the fame that comes with them...
was unconventional in being "backed by an insurance policy to guarantee that the $10 million is in place on the day that the prize is won." Diamandis referred to this as a "hole-in-one insurance policy".
Spin-offs
The success of the X Prize competition has spurred spin-offs that are set up in the same way. There have been two major spin-offs at this point, the first of which is the M Prize (short for Methuselah Mouse Prize), which is a prize set up by University of CambridgeUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
biogerontologist Aubrey de Grey
Aubrey de Grey
Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey is an English author and theoretician in the field of gerontology, and the Chief Science Officer of the SENS Foundation. He is editor-in-chief of the academic journal Rejuvenation Research, author of The Mitochondrial Free Radical Theory of Aging and co-author...
which will go to the scientific team that successfully extends the life or reverses the aging of mice, which would then eventually be available to humans. The second is the NASA Centennial Challenges
Centennial Challenges
The Centennial Challenges are NASA space competition prize contests for non-government-funded technological achievements by American teams.-Current Challenges:...
, which consist of (among others) the Tether Challenge in which teams compete to develop superstrong tethers as a component to space elevator
Space elevator
A space elevator, also known as a geostationary orbital tether or a beanstalk, is a proposed non-rocket spacelaunch structure...
s, and the Beam Power Challenge which encourages ideas for transmitting power wirelessly. An independent spin-off called the N-Prize
N-Prize
The N-Prize is a competition to stimulate innovation directed towards obtaining cheap access to space. The competition was launched in 2008 by Cambridge biologist Paul H...
was started by Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
Microbiologist
Microbiologist
A microbiologist is a scientist who works in the field of microbiology. Microbiologists study organisms called microbes. Microbes can take the form of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists...
Paul H. Dear in 2007, designed to foster research into low-cost orbital launchers.
The X Prize foundation itself is developing additional prizes: the Archon X Prize
Archon X Prize
The Archon X Prize for Genomics, the second X Prize to be offered by the X Prize Foundation, based in Santa Monica, California, was announced on October 4, 2006. The Archon X Prize in genomics is a joint effort of the X Prize Foundation and the J...
, to advance research in the field of genomics
Genomics
Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...
; the Automotive X Prize
Automotive X Prize
The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE was a set of competitions, programs and events, from the X Prize Foundation to "inspire a new generation of super-efficient vehicles that help break America's addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change." Progressive Insurance was the title...
, an engineering competition to create a fuel efficient clean car; the Google Lunar X Prize
Google Lunar X Prize
The Google Lunar X PRIZE, abbreviated GLXP, sometimes referred to as Moon 2.0, is a space competition organized by the X Prize Foundation, and sponsored by Google. It was announced at the Wired Nextfest on 13 September 2007...
, a competition to put a robot on the moon; and the Wirefly X Prize Cup, an annually held air & space exposition featuring space-related competitions and rocketry.
There is also a possible "H-Prize", focused on hydrogen vehicle
Hydrogen vehicle
A hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle that uses hydrogen as its onboard fuel for motive power. Hydrogen vehicles include hydrogen fueled space rockets, as well as automobiles and other transportation vehicles...
research, although this goal has been addressed by H.R. 5143, an X-Prize-inspired bill passed by the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
.
See also
- NASA Centennial ChallengesCentennial ChallengesThe Centennial Challenges are NASA space competition prize contests for non-government-funded technological achievements by American teams.-Current Challenges:...
- Orteig PrizeOrteig PrizeThe Orteig Prize was a $25,000 reward offered on May 19, 1919, by New York hotel owner Raymond Orteig to the first allied aviator to fly non-stop from New York City to Paris or vice-versa. On offer for five years, it attracted no competitors...
- List of prizes
- Prizes named after peoplePrizes named after peopleThis is a list of prizes that are named after people.For other lists of eponyms see Lists of etymologies.* Ansari X Prize - Anousheh Ansari, Amir Ansari* Prince of Asturias Awards - Felipe, Prince of Asturias-A:...
- America's Space PrizeAmerica's Space PrizeAmerica's Space Prize was a US$50 million space competition in orbital spaceflight established and funded in 2004 by hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow. The prize would have been awarded to the first US-based privately-funded team to design and build a reusable manned capsule capable of flying 5...
- Methuselah Mouse Prize, or M Prize (modeled after the Ansari X Prize)
- N-PrizeN-PrizeThe N-Prize is a competition to stimulate innovation directed towards obtaining cheap access to space. The competition was launched in 2008 by Cambridge biologist Paul H...
, a low-budget orbital satellite insertion challenge - Space Ship One
Related technical topics:
- Specific impulseSpecific impulseSpecific impulse is a way to describe the efficiency of rocket and jet engines. It represents the derivative of the impulse with respect to amount of propellant used, i.e., the thrust divided by the amount of propellant used per unit time. If the "amount" of propellant is given in terms of mass ,...
- Tsiolkovsky equation
- Delta V
Further reading
- "The X Prize", an article by Ian Parker on pages 52–63 of the 4 October 2004 issue of The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
External links
- Ansari X Prize official site
- X Prize Cup official site
- X Prize founder talks about the prize and the future of space travel (MIT Video)
- Ansari X Prize Space Race News
- Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize
- Yahoo! News - SpaceShipOne Readies Run at $10 Mln Prize
- (Rubicon 1 un-manned test) X-prize contender rocket explodes
- Tier One (SpaceShipOne) Homepage
- Going Private: The Promise and Danger of Space Travel -- a study of the future of spaceflight and its possible risks
- FAI Rules for Astronautic Record Attempts
- press release: SpaceShipOne reaches over 360,000 feet to win the $10 million ANSARI X Prize
- Interview with Mark Goodstein, Executive Director of the Automotive X Prize on new energy X Prize
- Black Sky: The Race for Space (Internet Movie Database listing)
- Black Sky: Winning the X Prize (Internet Movie Database listing)
Archon X Prize for Genomics: