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First X-Prize Flight a Success for SpaceShipOne

NPR | By Xeni Jardin
Published September 30, 2004 at 12:00 AM EDT
SpaceShipOne pilot Mike Melvill stands atop his craft after making the first of two planned flights into sub-orbital space.
Jason DeFillippo for NPR /
SpaceShipOne pilot Mike Melvill stands atop his craft after making the first of two planned flights into sub-orbital space.

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 the race for the Ansari X-prize, a global competition to build the first viable commercial spaceship. The winning team is set to receive a $10-million award.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Xeni Jardin
Xeni Jardin can be heard on NPR’s Day to Day, offering technology insights for listeners nationwide. Jardin is also a contributing writer for Wired Magazine, as well as a tech culture journalist and co-editor of the collaborative weblog BoingBoing.net, the award-winning "Directory of Wonderful Things."