SpaceShipOne flight 17P
Second competitive X Prize flight, won the $10 million prize.
On October 4, 2004, SpaceShipOne made its 17P flight, the second and winning run for the Ansari X Prize under the Tier One program. This mission, also called X2, proved that a privately built, reusable spacecraft could carry people beyond the atmosphere. With its success, the prize was claimed.
To take the X Prize, the same spacecraft had to complete two qualifying flights within two weeks. SpaceShipOne passed its first on September 29, 2004, so a second was needed by October 13. Scaled Composites planned for three possible flights in that window, just in case one failed. The chosen date, October 4, fell on the 47th anniversary of Sputnik 1’s launch and the day astronaut Gordon Cooper died. Earlier, the craft’s first powered flight had been timed to the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ flight. Another contender, the da Vinci Project, had hoped to fly on October 2, which could have forced a race, but delays let Tier One stick to its schedule. Scaled Composites said they could have turned the ship around even faster than the five days they actually took. Many observers guessed Mike Melvill would pilot again, given his experience on both prior SpaceShipOne flights, but on the morning of the flight Brian Binnie was named instead.
Under X Prize rules, the flight had to carry 180 kg of payload to mimic two 90 kg passengers. Scaled Composites had said the first competitive flight would not carry passengers, but made no such promise for later ones. Burt Rutan was a possible passenger, but the FAA limited the flight to just the pilot. The payload included the X Prize’s “gold box” monitoring equipment and an Explorers Club flag. Logos from flight 16P were also aboard: Scaled Composites, “SpaceShipOne: a Paul G. Allen project,” “White Knight,” Virgin Galactic, Virgin, the Ansari X Prize, the Spirit of St. Louis science center, M&M’s, 7-Up Plus, and the Champ Car World Series.
All times are PDT, seven hours behind UTC. Taxiing started at 06:36, six minutes late, and takeoff from Mojave Spaceport happened at 06:49, eleven minutes early. White Knight, piloted by Mike Melvill, carried SpaceShipOne to over 43,500 feet (13.3 km). Separation came at 07:49, and the rocket ignited right away. The motor burned for about 87 seconds, reaching above 200,000 feet (61 km) before cutting out.
Quick Facts
- Mission Type
- Test flight
- Operator
- Scaled Composites
- Mission Duration
- 24 minutes
- Suborbital Apogee
- 112.01 km
- Spacecraft
- SpaceShipOne
- Launch Site
- White Knight, Mojave
- Landing Site
- Mojave
- Crew Size
- 1
- Crew Members
- Brian Binnie
- Programme
- Scaled Composites Tier One
- Previous Mission
- Flight 16P
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
To win the Ansari X Prize, a spacecraft needed to make two successful competitive flights within 14 days. SpaceShipOne had made a successful competitive flight on September 29, 2004, so a second flight was required by October 13, 2004. Scaled Composites aimed to be able to fly three times within the two weeks to allow for a failed flight. The date of flight 17P, October 4, 2004, was the 47th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 1 and the same day astronaut Gordon Cooper died. SpaceShipOne's first powered flight had similarly occurred on the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first flight. The da Vinci Project, another X Prize contender, planned a flight on October 2, 2004, which might have caused a race, but they encountered problems and delayed. Tier One followed its original schedule. Observers anticipated Mike Melvill as pilot, but on the morning of the flight it was announced that Brian Binnie would pilot.
Reader's Guide
Flight 17P was the decisive mission that secured the Ansari X Prize for SpaceShipOne and the Tier One program. Under X Prize rules, the flight carried a 180 kg payload to simulate two passengers. The payload included X Prize flight monitoring equipment (the 'gold box') and the Explorers Club flag. The flight reached an apogee of 112.01 kilometers, exceeding the X Prize target altitude and breaking the altitude record for a rocket plane set by the X-15 in 1963. After a successful reentry and glide, SpaceShipOne landed safely at Mojave Spaceport. The prize was declared by chief judge Rick Searfoss at a post-flight press briefing and awarded on November 6, 2004. The flight marked the last solo spaceflight in history as of September 2026. SpaceShipOne was later retired to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.
Did You Know?
- The pilot was Brian Binnie, not Mike Melvill as many observers had anticipated.
- The flight carried a 180 kg payload including the 'gold box' X Prize monitoring equipment and the Explorers Club flag.
- SpaceShipOne's first powered flight occurred on the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first powered flight.
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