# SpaceShipOne

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American experimental spaceplane

"Space Ship One" redirects here. For the album by Paul Gilbert, see [Space Ship One (album)](/source/Space_Ship_One_(album)).

SpaceShipOne SpaceShipOne after its flight into space, June 2004. General information Type Spaceplane Manufacturer Scaled Composites Designer Burt Rutan Primary user Mojave Aerospace Ventures Number built 1 History First flight 20 May 2003 (2003-05-20) Retired 4 October 2004 (2004-10-04) Developed into SpaceShipTwo Preserved at National Air and Space Museum

**SpaceShipOne** is an experimental [air-launched](/source/Air_launch) [rocket-powered aircraft](/source/Rocket-powered_aircraft) with [sub-orbital spaceflight](/source/Sub-orbital_spaceflight) capability at speeds of up to 3,000 ft/s (2,000 mph) / 910 m/s (3,300 km/h) using a [hybrid rocket](/source/Hybrid_rocket) motor. The design features a unique "[feathering](/source/Feathering_(reentry))" [atmospheric reentry](/source/Atmospheric_reentry) system where the rear half of the wing and the [twin tail](/source/Twin_tail) booms folds 70 degrees upward along a hinge running the length of the wing; this increases [drag](/source/Drag_(physics)) while retaining stability. SpaceShipOne completed the first [crewed](/source/Human_spaceflight) [private spaceflight](/source/Private_spaceflight) in 2004. That same year, it won the US$10 million [Ansari X Prize](/source/Ansari_X_Prize) and was immediately retired from active service. Its [mother ship](/source/Mother_ship_(aviation)) was named "[White Knight](/source/Scaled_Composites_White_Knight)". Both craft were developed and flown by [Mojave Aerospace Ventures](/source/Mojave_Aerospace_Ventures), which was a joint venture between [Paul Allen](/source/Paul_Allen) and [Scaled Composites](/source/Scaled_Composites), [Burt Rutan](/source/Burt_Rutan)'s aviation company. Allen provided the funding of approximately US$25 million.

Rutan has indicated that ideas about the project began as early as 1994 and the full-time development cycle time to the 2004 accomplishments was about three years.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] The vehicle first achieved supersonic flight on December 17, 2003, which was also the one-hundredth anniversary of the [Wright Brothers](/source/Wright_Brothers)' historic first powered flight. SpaceShipOne's first official spaceflight, known as [flight 15P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_15P), was piloted by [Mike Melvill](/source/Mike_Melvill). A few days before that flight, the [Mojave Air and Space Port](/source/Mojave_Air_and_Space_Port) was the first commercial spaceport licensed in the United States. A few hours after that flight, Melvill became the first licensed U.S. [commercial astronaut](/source/Commercial_astronaut). The overall project name was "[Tier One](/source/Scaled_Composites_Tier_One)" which has evolved into [Tier 1b](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tier_1b&action=edit&redlink=1) with a goal of taking a successor ship's first passengers into space.

The achievements of SpaceShipOne are more comparable to those of the [X-15](/source/North_American_X-15) than to those of orbiting spacecraft like the [Space Shuttle](/source/Space_Shuttle). Accelerating a spacecraft to [orbital speed](/source/Orbital_speed) requires more than 60 times as much energy as accelerating it to Mach 3. It would also require an elaborate heat shield to safely dissipate that energy during re-entry.[1]

SpaceShipOne's official model designation is Scaled Composites Model 316.

## Design

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### Design goal

The **Scaled Composites Model 316**,[2] known as **SpaceShipOne**, was a [spaceplane](/source/Spaceplane) designed to:

- Carry three humans (one of them a [pilot](/source/Pilot_(spaceflight))) in a sea-level pressurized cabin.

- Be propelled by [rocket](/source/Rocket) from an altitude of 15 km (9.3 mi) to in excess of 100 km (62 mi).

- Reenter atmosphere and shed kinetic energy in an [aerodynamically](/source/Aerodynamic) stable configuration.

- Glide transonically and subsonically.

- Land horizontally on a standard [runway](/source/Runway).

### Vehicle description

The fuselage is cigar-shaped, with an overall diameter of about 1.52 m (5 ft 0 in). The main structure is of a [graphite](/source/Graphite)/[epoxy](/source/Epoxy) [composite material](/source/Composite_material). From front to back, it contains the crew cabin, oxidizer tank, fuel casing, and rocket nozzle. The craft has short, wide wings, with a span of 5 m (16 ft) and a [chord](/source/Chord_(aircraft)) of 3 m (9.8 ft). Large vertical tailbooms are mounted on the end of each wing, with horizontal stabilizers protruding from the tailbooms. It has gear for horizontal landings.

The overall mass of the fully fueled craft is 3,600 [kg](/source/Kilogram) (7,900 lb), of which 2,700 kg (6,000 lb) is taken by the fully loaded rocket motor. Empty mass of the spacecraft is 1,200 kg (2,600 lb), including the 300 kg (660 lb) empty motor casing.[3][4]

Originally the nozzle protruded from the back, but this turned out to be aerodynamically disadvantageous. In June 2004, between flights [14P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_14P) and [15P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_15P), a fairing was added, smoothly extending the fuselage shape to meet the flared end of the nozzle. On flight 15P the new fairing overheated, due to being black on the inside and facing a hot, black nozzle. The fairing softened, and the lower part crumpled inwards during boost. Following that flight the interior of the fairing was painted white, and some small stiffening ribs were added.

The craft has a single unsteerable and unthrottleable [hybrid rocket](/source/Hybrid_rocket) motor, a cold gas [reaction control system](/source/Reaction_control_system), and aerodynamic [control surfaces](/source/Flight_control_surfaces). All can be controlled manually. See the separate section below concerning the rocket engine.

The reaction control system is the only way to control spacecraft attitude outside the atmosphere. It consists of three sets of thrusters: thrusters at each wingtip control roll, at the top and bottom of the nose control pitch, and at the sides of the fuselage control yaw. All thrusters have redundant backups, so comprising twelve thrusters in all.

The aerodynamic control surfaces of SpaceShipOne are designed to operate in two distinct flight regimes, subsonic and supersonic. The supersonic flight regime is of primary interest during the boost phase of a flight, and the subsonic mode when gliding. The craft has separate upper and lower rudders, and [elevons](/source/Elevon). These are controlled using [aviation](/source/Aviation)-style stick and pedals. In supersonic mode the trim tabs are controlled electrically, whereas the subsonic mode uses mechanical cable-and-rod linkage.

The wings of SpaceShipOne can be pneumatically tilted forwards into an aerodynamically stable high-[drag](/source/Drag_(physics)) "feathered" shape. This removes most of the need to control attitude actively during the early part of reentry: Scaled Composites refer to this as "care-free reentry". One of the early test flights actually performed re-entry inverted, demonstrating the flexibility and inherent stability of [Burt Rutan](/source/Burt_Rutan)'s "[shuttlecock](/source/Shuttlecock)" design. This feathered reentry mode is claimed to be inherently safer than the behavior at similar speeds of the [Space Shuttle](/source/Space_Shuttle). The Shuttle undergoes enormous aerodynamic stresses and must be precisely steered in order to remain in a stable glide. (Although this is an interesting comparison of behavior, it is not an entirely fair comparison of design concepts: the Shuttle starts reentry at much higher speed than SpaceShipOne, and so has some very different requirements. SpaceShipOne is more similar to the X-15 vehicle.)

An early design called for a permanently shuttlecock-like shape, with a ring of [feather](/source/Feather)-like stabilising fins. This would have made the spacecraft incapable of landing independently, requiring [mid-air retrieval](/source/Mid-air_retrieval). This was deemed too risky, and the hybrid final design manages to incorporate the feathering capability into a craft that can land in a conventional manner. The tiltable rear sections of the wings and the tailbooms are collectively referred to as "the feather".

The landing gear consists of two widely separated main wheels and a nose skid. These are deployed using springs, assisted by gravity. Once deployed, they cannot be retracted inflight.

The spacecraft is incapable of independent takeoff from the ground. It requires a launch aircraft to carry it to launch altitude for an [air launch](/source/Air_launch).

The parts of the craft that experience the greatest heating, such as the leading edges of the wings, have about 6.5 kg (14 lb) of ablative thermal protection material applied. The main ingredient of this material was accidentally leaked to *Air and Space*[*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify)*]. If it flew with no thermal protection, the spacecraft would survive reentry but would be damaged.

The spacecraft's aerodynamic design has an acknowledged "known deficiency" that makes it susceptible to [roll](/source/Flight_dynamics) excursions. This has been seen on [SpaceShipOne flight 15P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_15P) where wind shear caused a large roll immediately after ignition, and [SpaceShipOne flight 16P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_16P) where circumstances not yet fully understood caused multiple rapid rolls. This flaw is not considered dangerous, but in both of these flights led to the achievement of a much lower altitude than expected. The details of the flaw are not public.

### Cabin

The spacecraft cabin, designed to hold three humans, is shaped as a short cylinder, diameter 1.52 m (5 ft 0 in), with a pointed forward end. The [pilot](/source/Pilot_(spaceflight)) sits towards the front, and two passengers can be seated behind.

The cabin is pressurized, maintaining a [sea level](/source/Sea_level) breathable atmosphere. [Oxygen](/source/Oxygen) is introduced to the cabin from a bottle, and [carbon dioxide](/source/Carbon_dioxide) and water vapor are removed by absorbers. The occupants do not wear [spacesuits](/source/Spacesuit) or breathing masks, because the cabin has been designed to maintain pressure in the face of faults: all windows and seals are doubled.

The cabin has sixteen round double-pane windows, positioned to provide a view of the horizon at all stages of flight. The windows are small compared to the gaps between them, but there are sufficiently many for human occupants to patch together a moderately good view.

The nose section can be removed, and there is also a hatch below the rear windows on the left side. Crew ingress and egress is possible by either route.

### Spaceplane navigation

The core of the spacecraft [avionics](/source/Avionics) is the **System Navigation Unit** (**SNU**). Together with the **Flight Director Display** (**FDD**), it comprises the **Flight Navigation Unit**. The unit was developed jointly by [Fundamental Technology Systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fundamental_Technology_Systems&action=edit&redlink=1) and [Scaled Composites](/source/Scaled_Composites).

The SNU is a [GPS](/source/GPS)-based inertial navigation system, which processes spacecraft sensor data and subsystem health data. It downlinks telemetry data by [radio](/source/Radio) to mission control.

The FDD displays data from the SNU on a color [LCD](/source/LCD). It has several distinct display modes for different phases of flight, including the boost phase, [coast](/source/Coast_phase), reentry, and gliding. The FDD is particularly important to the pilot during the boost and coast phase in order to "turn the corner" and null rates caused by asymmetric thrust. A mix of commercial and bespoke software is used in the FDD.

### Hybrid rocket engine

Tier One uses a [hybrid rocket](/source/Hybrid_rocket) [engine](/source/Rocket_engine) supplied by [SpaceDev](/source/SpaceDev), with solid [hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene](/source/Hydroxyl-terminated_polybutadiene) (HTPB, or [rubber](/source/Rubber)) [fuel](/source/Fuel) and liquid [nitrous oxide](/source/Nitrous_oxide) [oxidizer](/source/Oxidizer). It generates 88 kN (20,000 lbf) of thrust, and can burn for about 87 s (1.45 min).

The physical layout of the engine is novel. The oxidizer tank is a primary structural component, and is the only part of the engine that is structurally connected to the spacecraft: the tank is in fact an integral part of the spacecraft fuselage. The tank is a short [cylinder](/source/Cylinder_(geometry)) of diameter approximately 1.52 m (5 ft 0 in), with domed ends, and is the forwardmost part of the engine. The fuel casing is a narrow cylinder [cantilevered](/source/Cantilever) to the tank, pointing backwards. The cantilevered design means that a variety of motor sizes can be accommodated without changing the interface or other components. The [nozzle](/source/Nozzle) is a simple extension of the fuel casing; the casing and nozzle are actually a single component, referred to as the **CTN** (**c**ase, **t**hroat, and **n**ozzle). [Burt Rutan](/source/Burt_Rutan) has applied for a [patent](/source/Patent) on this engine configuration.

There is considerable use of [composite materials](/source/Composite_material) in the engine design. The oxidizer tank consists of a composite liner with [graphite](/source/Graphite)/[epoxy](/source/Epoxy) over-wrap and [titanium](/source/Titanium) interface flanges. The CTN uses a high-temperature composite insulator with a graphite/epoxy structure. Incorporating the solid fuel (and hence the main part of the engine) and the [ablative](/source/Ablation) nozzle into this single bonded component minimizes the possible leak paths.

The oxidizer tank and CTN are bolted together at the main valve bulkhead, which is integrated into the tank. There are [O-rings](/source/O-ring) at the interface to prevent leakage; this is the main potential leak path in the engine. The ignition system, main control valve, and injector are mounted on the valve bulkhead, inside the tank. Slosh baffles are also mounted on this bulkhead. Because the oxidizer is stored under pressure, no pump is required.

The tank liner and the fuel casing are built in-house by [Scaled Composites](/source/Scaled_Composites). The tank over-wrap is supplied by [Thiokol](/source/Thiokol). The ablative nozzle is supplied by [AAE Aerospace](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=AAE_Aerospace&action=edit&redlink=1). The oxidizer fill, vent, and dump system is supplied by [Environmental Aeroscience Corporation](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Environmental_Aeroscience_Corporation&action=edit&redlink=1). The remaining components—the ignition system, main control valve, injector, tank bulkheads, electronic controls, and solid fuel casting—are supplied by [SpaceDev](/source/SpaceDev).

The CTN must be replaced between firings. This is the only part of the craft, other than the fuel and oxidizer themselves, that must be replaced.

The solid fuel is cast with four holes. This has the disadvantage that it is possible for chunks of fuel between the holes to become detached during a burn and obstruct the flow of oxidizer and exhaust. Such situations tend to rapidly self-correct.

The oxidizer tank is filled and vented through its forward [bulkhead](/source/Bulkhead_(partition)), on the opposite side of the tank from the fuel and the rest of the engine. This improves safety. It is filled to a pressure of 4.8 [MPa](/source/Pascal_(unit)) (700 psi) at [room temperature](/source/Room_temperature).

The nozzle has an expansion ratio of 25:1, which is optimized for the upper part of the atmosphere. A different nozzle, with an expansion ratio of 10:1, is used for test firing on the ground. The nozzles are black on the outside, but for aerodynamic testing, red dummy nozzles are used instead.

The rocket is not throttleable. Once lit, the burn can be aborted, but the power output cannot otherwise be controlled. The thrust in fact varies, for two reasons. Firstly, as the pressure in the oxidizer tank decreases, the flow rate reduces, reducing thrust. Secondly, in the late stages of a burn the oxidizer tank contains a mixture of liquid and gaseous oxidizer, and the power output of the engine varies greatly depending on whether it is using liquid or gaseous oxidizer at a particular moment. (The liquid, being far denser, allows a greater burn rate.)

Both the fuel and oxidizer can be stored without special precautions, and they do not burn when brought together without a significant source of heat. This makes the rocket far safer than conventional liquid or solid rockets. The combustion products are water vapour, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, nitrogen, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide.

The engine was upgraded in September 2004, between flights [15P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_15P) and [16P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_16P). The upgrade increased the oxidizer tank size, to provide greater thrust in the early part of the burn, allow a longer burn, and delay the onset of the variable thrust phase at the end of the burn. Prior to the upgrade the engine generated 76 kN (17,000 lbf) of thrust and could burn for 76 s (1.27 min). After the upgrade it was capable of 88 kN (20,000 lbf) thrust and an 87 s (1.45 min) burn.

### Launch aircraft

This section is about design. For information on flights made by White Knight, see [Scaled Composites White Knight](/source/Scaled_Composites_White_Knight).

White Knight One launch aircraft

Tier One's launch aircraft, **Scaled Composites Model 318**, known as **White Knight**, is designed to take off and land horizontally and attain an altitude of about 15 km (9.3 mi), all while carrying the Tier One spacecraft in a [parasite aircraft](/source/Parasite_aircraft) configuration. Its propulsion is by twin [turbojets](/source/Turbojet): afterburning J-85-GE-5 engines, rated at 15.6 [kN](/source/Newton_(unit)) (3,500 lbf) of thrust each.

It has the same cabin, [avionics](/source/Avionics), and trim system as SpaceShipOne. This means it can [flight-qualify](/source/Flight-qualify) almost all components of SpaceShipOne. It also has a high thrust-to-weight ratio and large speed brakes. These features combined allow it to be used as a high-fidelity moving platform [flight simulator](/source/Flight_simulator) for SpaceShipOne. White Knight is also equipped with a trim system which (when activated) causes it to have the same glide profile as SpaceShipOne; this allows the pilots to practice for landing SpaceShipOne. The same pilots fly White Knight as fly SpaceShipOne.

The aircraft's distinctive shape features long, thin wings, in a flattened "W" shape, with a wingspan of 25 m (82 ft), dual tailplanes, and four wheels (front and rear at each side). The rear wheels retract, but the front ones, which are steerable, are permanently deployed, with small fairings, referred to as "spats", in front. Another way to look at the overall shape is as two conventional planes, with very thin fuselages, side by side and joined at their wingtips, with the cockpit and engines mounted at the point of joining.

Although White Knight was developed for certain roles in the Tier One program, it is a very capable aircraft in its own right. Scaled Composites describe it as a "high-altitude research aircraft".

### Flight profile

SpaceShipOne takes off from the ground, attached to White Knight in a [parasite](/source/Parasite_aircraft) configuration, and under White Knight's power. The combination of SpaceShipOne and White Knight can take off, land, and fly under jet power to high altitude. A captive carry[5] flight is one where the two craft land together without launching SpaceShipOne; this is one of the main abort modes available.

For launch, the combined craft flies to an altitude of around 14 km (8.7 mi), which takes about an hour. SpaceShipOne is then drop-released, and briefly glides unpowered. Rocket ignition may take place immediately, or may be delayed. If the rocket is never lit then SpaceShipOne can glide down to the ground. This is another major abort mode, in addition to being flown deliberately in glide tests.

The rocket engine is ignited while the spacecraft is gliding. Once under power, it is raised into a 65° climb, which is further steepened in the higher part of the trajectory. The maximum acceleration during ascent was recorded at 1.70G.[6]

By the end of the burn the craft is flying upwards at some multiple of the speed of sound, up to about 900 m/s (3,000 ft/s) and [Mach](/source/Mach_number) 3.5, and it continues to coast upwards unpowered (i.e. [ballistically](/source/Ballistics)). If the burn was long enough then it will exceed an altitude of 100 km (62 mi), at which height the atmosphere presents no appreciable resistance, and the craft experiences [free fall](/source/Weightlessness) for a few minutes.

While at [apogee](/source/Apogee) the wings are reconfigured into high-drag mode. As the craft falls back it achieves high speeds comparable to those achieved on the way up; when it subsequently reenters the atmosphere it decelerates violently, up to 5.75G. At some altitude between 10 km (6.2 mi) and 20 km (12 mi) it reconfigures into low-drag glider mode, and glides down to a landing in about 20 minutes.

White Knight takes longer to descend, and typically lands a few minutes after SpaceShipOne.

## Specifications

*Data from* astronautix.com[3]

**General characteristics**

- **Crew:** One

- **Length:** 27 ft 11 in (8.5[7] m)

- **Wingspan:** 26 ft 11 in (8.2[8] m)

- **Diameter:** 5 ft 0 in (1.52 m)

- **Wing area:** 160 sq ft (15 m2)

- **Empty weight:** 2,646 lb (1,200 kg)

- **Gross weight:** 7,937 lb (3,600 kg)

- **[Aspect Ratio](/source/Aspect_ratio_(wing)):** 1.6

- **Powerplant:** 1 × [SpaceDev](/source/SpaceDev) [N2O](/source/Nitrous_oxide)/[HTPB](/source/Hydroxyl-terminated_polybutadiene) [hybrid rocket](/source/Hybrid_rocket), 16,500 lbf (73.5 kN) thrust

- **[Isp](/source/Specific_impulse):** 250 s (2.5 km/s)

- **Burn time:** 80 seconds

**Performance**

- **Maximum speed:** Mach 3.09 (2370 mph, 3815 km/h)

- **Range:** 40 mi (65 km, 35 nmi)

- **Service ceiling:** 367,000 ft (112,000 m)

- **Rate of climb:** 82,000 ft/min (420 m/s)

- **Wing loading:** 49 lb/sq ft (240 kg/m2)

- **[Thrust/weight](/source/Thrust-to-weight_ratio):** 2.08

## Development and winning the X Prize

Flight 16P taxi pre launch

Launch of the rockets on SpaceShipOne

A crowd watches as SpaceShipOne makes its second flight

(L to R) Marion Blakely (FAA), Mike Melvill; Richard Branson, Burt Rutan, Brian Binnie, and Paul Allen reflect on a mission accomplished (October 4, 2004)

SpaceShipOne Flight Sept 2004

Mike Melvill SpaceShipOne Government Zero 15P

SpaceShipOne was developed by Mojave Aerospace Ventures (a joint venture between [Paul Allen](/source/Paul_Allen) and [Scaled Composites](/source/Scaled_Composites), [Burt Rutan](/source/Burt_Rutan)'s aviation company, in their [Tier One](/source/Scaled_Composites_Tier_One) program), without government funding. On June 21, 2004, it made the first privately funded human spaceflight. On October 4, it won the US$10 million [Ansari X Prize](/source/Ansari_X_Prize), by reaching 100 kilometers in altitude twice in a two-week period with the equivalent of three people on board and with no more than ten percent of the non-fuel weight of the spacecraft replaced between flights. Development costs were estimated to be US$25 million, funded completely by [Paul Allen](/source/Paul_Allen).[9]: 10, 80–111

During its test program, SpaceShipOne set a number of important "firsts", including first privately funded aircraft to exceed Mach 2 and Mach 3, first privately funded crewed spacecraft to exceed [100km altitude](/source/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line), and first privately funded reusable crewed spacecraft.[9]: 80–111

SpaceShipOne was [registered](/source/Aircraft_registration) with the [FAA](/source/Federal_Aviation_Administration) as **N328KF**.**[10]** *N* is the prefix for US-registered aircraft; *328KF* was chosen by Scaled Composites to stand for 328 [**k**ilo**f**eet](/source/Metrication_in_the_United_States#Hybrid_units) (about [100 kilometers](/source/1_E5_m)), the officially designated [edge of space](/source/K%C3%A1rm%C3%A1n_line). The original choice of registry number, N100KM, was already taken. N328KF is registered as a [glider](/source/Glider_aircraft), reflecting the fact that most of its independent flight is unpowered.

SpaceShipOne's first flight, [01C](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SpaceShipOne_flight_01C&action=edit&redlink=1), was an uncrewed captive [flight test](/source/Flight_test) on May 20, 2003. Glide tests followed, starting with [flight 03G](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SpaceShipOne_flight_03G&action=edit&redlink=1) on August 7, 2003. Its first powered flight, [flight 11P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_11P), was made on December 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the [first powered flight](/source/Wright_Flyer).

On April 1, 2004, Scaled Composites received the first license for [suborbital](/source/Sub-orbital_spaceflight) rocket flights to be issued by the [US Office of Commercial Space Transportation](/source/Office_of_Commercial_Space_Transportation). This license permitted the company to conduct powered test flights over the course of one year. On June 17, 2004, under the leadership of airport CEO [Stuart O. Witt](/source/Stuart_O._Witt), Mojave Airport reclassified itself as the [Mojave Air and Space Port](/source/Mojave_Air_and_Space_Port).[11]

[Flight 15P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_15P) on June 21, 2004, was SpaceShipOne's first [spaceflight](/source/Spaceflight), and the first privately funded human spaceflight. There were a few control problems,[12] but these were resolved prior to the Ansari X PRIZE flights that followed, with [flight 17P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_17P) to 112 km on October 4, 2004,[13] winning the prize.

The SpaceShipOne Team was awarded the Space Achievement Award[14] by the [Space Foundation](/source/Space_Foundation) in 2005.

### Flights

On 17 December 2003—on the 100th anniversary of the [Wright brothers](/source/Wright_brothers) first powered flight of an [aircraft](/source/Aircraft)—*SpaceShipOne*, piloted by [Brian Binnie](/source/Brian_Binnie) on [Flight 11P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_11P), made its first [rocket-powered](/source/Rocket_engine) flight and became the first privately built craft to achieve supersonic flight.[9]: 8

SpaceShipOne landing

All of the flights of SpaceShipOne were from the [Mojave Airport Civilian Flight Test Center](/source/Mojave_Airport_Civilian_Flight_Test_Center). Flights were 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 actual flight differs in category from the intended flight, two letters are appended: the first indicating the intended mission and the second the mission actually performed.

SpaceShipOne flights Flight Date Top speed Altitude Duration Pilot 01C May 20, 2003 14.63 km[15] 1 h 48 min uncrewed 02C July 29, 2003 14 km[3] 2 h 06 min Mike Melvill 03G August 7, 2003 278 km/h 14.33 km[15] 19 min 00 s Mike Melvill 04GC August 27, 2003 370 km/h[15] 14 km[3] 1 h 06 min Mike Melvill 05G August 27, 2003 370 km/h 14.69 km[15] 10 min 30 s Mike Melvill 06G September 23, 2003 213 km/h 14.26 km[15] 12 min 15 s Mike Melvill 07G October 17, 2003 241 km/h 14.08 km[15] 17 min 49 s Mike Melvill 08G November 14, 2003 213 km/h 14.42 km[15] 19 min 55 s Peter Siebold 09G November 19, 2003 213 km/h 14.72 km[15] 12 min 25 s Mike Melvill 10G December 4, 2003 213 km/h 14.75 km[15] 13 min 14 s Brian Binnie 11P December 17, 2003 Mach 1.2 20.67 km[15] 18 min 10 s Brian Binnie 12G March 11, 2004 232 km/h 14.78 km[15] 18 min 30 s Peter Siebold 13P April 8, 2004 Mach 1.6 32.00 km[15] 16 min 27 s Peter Siebold 14P May 13, 2004 Mach 2.5 64.43 km[15] 20 min 44 s Mike Melvill 15P June 21, 2004 Mach 2.9 100.124 km[15] 24 min 05 s Mike Melvill 16P September 29, 2004 Mach 2.92 102.93 km[15] 24 min 11 s Mike Melvill 17P October 4, 2004 Mach 3.09 112.014 km[13][15] 23 min 56 s Brian Binnie

SpaceShipOne ranks among the world's first [spaceplanes](/source/Spaceplanes) in the [first 50 years](/source/Golden_Jubilee) of [human spaceflight](/source/Human_spaceflight), with the [North American X-15](/source/North_American_X-15), [Space Shuttle](/source/Space_Shuttle), [Buran](/source/Buran_(spacecraft)), and [Boeing X-37](/source/Boeing_X-37). SpaceShipOne is the second [spaceplane](/source/Spaceplane) to have [launched](/source/Rocket-powered_aircraft) from a [mother ship](/source/Mother_ship), preceded only by the [North American X-15](/source/North_American_X-15).

The flights were accompanied by two [chase planes](/source/Chase_plane)—an [Extra 300](/source/Extra_300) owned and flown by [Chuck Coleman](/source/Chuck_Coleman), and a [Beechcraft Starship](/source/Beechcraft_Starship).[16]

### Astronauts

The SpaceShipOne pilots came from a variety of [aerospace](/source/Aerospace) backgrounds. [Mike Melvill](/source/Mike_Melvill) was a [test pilot](/source/Test_pilot), [Brian Binnie](/source/Brian_Binnie) was a former Navy pilot, and [Peter Siebold](/source/Peter_Siebold) is an engineer at Scaled Composites. They qualified to fly SpaceShipOne by training on the [Tier One flight simulator](/source/Scaled_Composites_Tier_One#Flight_simulator) and in White Knight and other Scaled Composites aircraft.

## Retirement

SpaceShipOne now hangs in the [National Air and Space Museum](/source/National_Air_and_Space_Museum) in Washington, D.C.

SpaceShipOne's space flights were watched by large crowds at Mojave Spaceport. A fourth suborbital flight, Flight 18P, was originally scheduled for October 13, 2004. However, Burt Rutan decided not to risk damage to the historic craft, and cancelled it and all future flights.

On July 25, 2005, SpaceShipOne was taken to the [Oshkosh Airshow](/source/Oshkosh_Airshow) in [Oshkosh, Wisconsin](/source/Oshkosh%2C_Wisconsin). After the airshow, Mike Melvill and crew flew the [White Knight](/source/Scaled_Composites_White_Knight), carrying SpaceShipOne, to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, where Melvill spoke to a group of about 300 military and civilian personnel. Later in the evening, Melvill gave a presentation at the Dayton Engineers Club, entitled "Some Experiments in Space Flight", in honor of [Wilbur Wright](/source/Wright_brothers)'s now-famous presentation to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1901 entitled "Some Experiments in Flight". The White Knight then transported SpaceShipOne to the [Smithsonian Institution](/source/Smithsonian_Institution)'s [National Air and Space Museum](/source/National_Air_and_Space_Museum) to be put on display. It was unveiled on Wednesday October 5, 2005 in the Milestones of Flight gallery and is now on display to the public in the main atrium with the *[Spirit of St. Louis](/source/Spirit_of_St._Louis)*, the [Bell X-1](/source/Bell_X-1), and the [Apollo 11](/source/Apollo_11) command module *Columbia*.

Commander [Brian Binnie](/source/Brian_Binnie) donated the flight suit and checklist used during his Ansari X Prize-winning flight to an auction benefitting Seattle's [Museum of Flight](/source/Museum_of_Flight). Entertainer and fundraising auctioneer Fred Northup Jr. purchased the flight suit and checklist book, and the flight suit is on display at the museum's Charles Simonyi Space Gallery.

A piece of SpaceShipOne's [carbon fiber](/source/Carbon_fiber) material was launched aboard the *[New Horizons](/source/New_Horizons)* mission to [Pluto](/source/Pluto) in 2006.[17]

## Replicas

Normal configuration

Feathered configuration

EAA replica in both feathered and normal configuration.

A year after its appearance in the Oshkosh Airventure airshow, the [Experimental Aircraft Association](/source/Experimental_Aircraft_Association) featured a full-scale replica of the spacecraft in a wing of its [museum](/source/EAA_AirVenture_Museum) which housed other creations of Burt Rutan. Using the same fiberglass molds as the original, it was so exact in its replication—despite not having any doors or interior—that it was dubbed "Serial 2 Scaled" by [Scaled Composites](/source/Scaled_Composites). Each detail in its appearance was matched, down to the N328KF registration number on its fuselage. It is so precise that, during a 7-minute video presentation held every hour on the half hour in the museum, it can display the two different modes of its 'feathering' ability, albeit through the aid of pulleys and wires (there is no machinery in the replica).[18]

Replica of SpaceShipOne at Hiller Aviation Museum

Locations of other full-scale replicas:

- William Thomas Terminal at [Meadows Field Airport](/source/Meadows_Field_Airport) in [Bakersfield](/source/Bakersfield)[19][20]

- Mojave Spaceport's Legacy Park alongside the original [Roton Atmospheric Test Vehicle](/source/Rotary_Rocket#The_Atmospheric_Test_Vehicle_(ATV))[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

- [Flying Heritage Collection](/source/Flying_Heritage_Collection) at [Paine Field](/source/Paine_Field) in [Everett](/source/Everett%2C_Washington)[21]

- [Hiller Aviation Museum](/source/Hiller_Aviation_Museum) at [San Carlos Airport (California)](/source/San_Carlos_Airport_(California))[22]

- [Google](/source/Google)'s Mountain View Campus[23]

- Frontiers of Flight Museum, Dallas Love Field, Dallas, Texas.[24]

SpaceShipOne was also made into a [model rocket](/source/Model_rocket) in 2004.[25]

## Subsequent spacecraft

With the success of Tier One meeting its project goals, a successor project started in 2004 was [Tier 1b](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tier_1b&action=edit&redlink=1). The successor ships are named [SpaceShipTwo](/source/SpaceShipTwo) and [White Knight Two](/source/Scaled_Composites_White_Knight_Two). The name of the joint venture between [Virgin Group](/source/Virgin_Group) and Scaled Composites is called [The Spaceship Company](/source/The_Spaceship_Company), with a goal of carrying passengers under the name [Virgin Galactic](/source/Virgin_Galactic), a spaceliner with an initial target of a commercial fleet of five spacecraft.[26][27]

In August 2005, Virgin Galactic stated that if the upcoming suborbital service with SpaceShipTwo would be successful, the follow-up would be known as [SpaceShipThree](/source/SpaceShipThree).[28][29]

On 13 December 2018, [VSS *Unity*](/source/VSS_Unity) achieved the SpaceShipTwo project's first suborbital space flight, [VSS Unity VP-03](/source/VSS_Unity_VP-03), with two pilots, reaching an altitude of 82.7 kilometres (51.4 mi), and officially entering [outer space](/source/Outer_space#Boundary) by US standards.[30][31]

## Gallery

		- [Hybrid rocket](/source/Hybrid_rocket) engine detail of SpaceShipOne ([more information](https://web.archive.org/web/20070121144914/http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/data_sheets/html/ox_tank.htm)).

		- SpaceShipOne takes off

		- SpaceShipOne landing after its June 21, 2004 space flight ([Flight 15P](/source/SpaceShipOne_flight_15P))

		- SpaceShipOne in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., with the *[Spirit of Saint Louis](/source/Spirit_of_Saint_Louis)* and [Bell X-1](/source/Bell_X-1) *Glamorous Glennis*

		- SpaceShipOne taking off

		- Exhausted SS1 rocket engine in the Scaled Composites building

		- Timeline of sub-orbital flights

## See also

- [Spaceflight portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Spaceflight)

- [2004 in spaceflight](/source/2004_in_spaceflight)

- *[Black Sky: The Race For Space](/source/Black_Sky%3A_The_Race_For_Space)*, 2005 documentary about SpaceShipOne

- [X-15](/source/X-15)

- [SpaceShipTwo](/source/SpaceShipTwo)

- [FAST20XX](/source/FAST20XX) ALPHA vehicle based on SpaceShipOne

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-EAAAirVentureMuseumScaledCompositesSpaceShipOneReplica_18-0)** ["EAA/Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne – Replica"](https://web.archive.org/web/20080502133833/http://www.airventuremuseum.org/collection/aircraft/SpaceShipOne.asp). [EAA AirVenture Museum](/source/EAA_AirVenture_Museum). Archived from [the original](http://www.airventuremuseum.org/collection/aircraft/SpaceShipOne.asp) on 2 May 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2008.

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- *SpaceShipOne: An Illustrated History* by [Dan Linehan](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Author_Dan_Linehan&action=edit&redlink=1), foreword by [Arthur C. Clarke](/source/Arthur_C._Clarke) (Zenith Press, 2008). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-7603-3188-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-7603-3188-0).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [SpaceShipOne](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:SpaceShipOne).

- [Footage of SpaceShipOne landing and press conference with pilot Mike Melvill](https://web.archive.org/web/20120204110642/http://www.itnsource.com/compilation/S26100601#48)

v t e Crewed spacecraft (programs) Active China Shenzhou Russia Soyuz United States Orion Crew Dragon Starliner New Shepard Retired Soviet Union Vostok Voskhod Buran United States X-15 Mercury Gemini Apollo Command and service module Apollo Lunar Module Space Shuttle SpaceShipOne SpaceShipTwo In development China Mengzhou Lanyue India Gaganyaan Russia Orel United States Starship Starship HLS Blue Moon Dream Chaser Cancelled United States SpaceShip III

v t e Rutan Aircraft Factory and Scaled Composites aircraft and spacecraft Aircraft (main designs) VariViggen VariEze Quickie Defiant Long-EZ Voyager Pond Racer Boomerang Proteus Model 367 BiPod Model 401 Aircraft (as subcontractor) Adam A500 Bell Eagle Eye Toyota TAA-1 Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer Williams V-Jet II X-38 X-47A Pegasus Technology demonstrators ARES ATTT BiPod Catbird Grizzly Triumph Model 395 (uncrewed) Model 396 (uncrewed) Vantage Rocketcraft (as subcontractor) McDonnell Douglas DC-X Rotary Rocket Spaceflight program Programs / Ships SpaceShipOne White Knight One SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise† VSS Unity White Knight Two VMS Eve VMS Spirit of Steve Fossett RocketMotorTwo SpaceShipThree Stratolaunch Roc Ansari X Prize flights Tier One 11P 13P 14P 15P 16P 17P The Spaceship Company Mojave Aerospace Ventures Model numbers 1 27 28 31 32 33 35 40 49 54 58 59 61 68 70 72 73 74 76 77 78 79 81 89 91 97 115 120 126 133 143 144 151 158 163 164 165 169 170 173 175 179 181 191 202 205 206 226 231 233 241 247 254 257 260 271 276 281 287 300 301 302 309 311 313 316 318 326 333 339 340 341 342 343 344 346 348 351 355 367 372 375 395 396 400 401 406 Notable people Burt Rutan (founder) Doug Shane (former president) Michael Alsbury (test pilot) Mike Melvill (vice president/general manager, test pilot) Brian Binnie (manager, test pilot) Peter Siebold (director of flight operations, test pilot) Paul Allen (SpaceShipOne sole investor)

v t e The Spaceship Company Virgin Galactic Related companies Virgin Galactic (Virgin Group) Scaled Composites (Northrop Grumman) Mojave Aerospace Ventures (Vulcan Aerospace) Notable people Richard Branson (co-founder) Burt Rutan (co-founder) Doug Shane (former president) Peter Siebold (test pilot) Michael Alsbury† (test pilot) Brian Binnie (test pilot) Mike Melvill (test pilot) Background Ansari X Prize Scaled Composites Tier One SpaceShipOne White Knight One Programs / ships SpaceShipTwo VSS Enterprise† 2014 crash VSS Unity White Knight Two VMS Eve VMS Spirit of Steve Fossett RocketMotorTwo SpaceShipThree Related topics Mojave Spaceport Kármán line Space tourism Companies Sub-orbital spaceflight Spaceplane

v t e Space tourism Organizations Active Axiom Space Blue Origin Airbus D&S Mojave Aerospace Ventures Orbital Technologies PDAS Redwire Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Adventures SpaceX The Spaceship Company Virgin Galactic CAS Space ARCA Association of Autonomous Astronauts Astronaute Club Européen Commercial Spaceflight Federation Copenhagen Suborbitals Space Frontier Foundation Space Tourism Society Defunct Armadillo Aerospace Bigelow Aerospace Canadian Arrow Golden Spike Company MirCorp Orion Span PlanetSpace RocketShip Tours Space Island Group (Space Island Project) XCOR Aerospace Vehicles Current Soyuz Dragon 2 New Shepard Future New Glenn Starliner Starship Retired SpaceShipTwo Living in space Commercialization of space Space colonization Space medicine Space settlement Space station Suborbital spaceplane Space competitions America's Space Prize Ansari X Prize Google Lunar X Prize Space elevator competitions Space tourists Past Dennis Tito Mark Shuttleworth Gregory Olsen Anousheh Ansari Charles Simonyi Richard Garriott Guy Laliberté Oliver Daemen Jared Isaacman Sian Proctor Hayley Arceneaux Christopher Sembroski Yusaku Maezawa Yozo Hirano Larry Connor Mark Pathy Eytan Stibbe John Shoffner Space tourism missions Past Inspiration4 Blue Origin NS-16 Blue Origin NS-18 Blue Origin NS-19 Blue Origin NS-20 Blue Origin NS-21 Blue Origin NS-22 Blue Origin NS-25 Blue Origin NS-26 Blue Origin NS-28 Blue Origin NS-30 Blue Origin NS-31 Blue Origin NS-32 Blue Origin NS-33 Blue Origin NS-34 Blue Origin NS-36 Blue Origin NS-37 Blue Origin NS-38 Galactic 02 Galactic 03 Galactic 04 Galactic 05 Galactic 06 Galactic 07 Axiom-1 Axiom-2 Axiom-3 Axiom-4 Polaris Dawn Fram2 Cancelled dearMoon Related Axiom Station Tourism on the Moon Tourism on Mars Haven-1

v t e Reusable launch systems and spacecraft Launch systems Active Falcon 9 (first stage) Falcon Heavy (core stages) New Glenn (first stage) New Shepard* (fully reusable) Retired Space Shuttle (orbiter and boosters) Petrel* (booster) Skua* (booster) In development Ariane Next CALLISTO* CORONA Kinetica-2 (boosters and central core) RLV-TD* Starship (SpaceX) Stoke Space Nova Vulcan (engines) First stage Amur (Soyuz-7) Eclipse Gravity-2 Hyperbola-3 Long March 10A 10B 12A 12B Maia Miura 5 Nebula 1 2 Pallas 1 2 Neutron Terran R Tianlong-3 Zhuque-3 Proposals Kankoh-maru SASSTO Saturn-Shuttle Canceled Adeline Angara Ares I (first stage) Ares V (boosters) Chang Cheng-1 Electron (reuse efforts only) Energia II (Uragan) Falcon 1e Falcon 5 Nexus Hyperbola-2 HOPE-X Hopper / Phoenix HOTOL K-1 Liquid Fly-back Booster Long March 6X (first stage) 8R (first stage) MAKS Prime Reusable Booster System Roton Sea Dragon Skylon Tianjiao-1 Spiral V-2 VentureStar Spacecraft Active Boeing Starliner (capsule) Boeing X-37 New Shepard* (capsule) Dragon 2 Shenlong Retired Dragon (capsule) Gemini SC-2* SpaceShipOne* SpaceShipTwo* Space Shuttle orbiter X-15* In development Dream Chaser Mengzhou (capsule) Orel (spacecraft) (capsule) Orion (capsule) Starship upper stage Proposals Avatar Goodyear Meteor Junior Ya Guidao Gainian Feixingqi* SUSIE Cancelled Buran-class orbiter (never actually reused, flew just once) H-2 Kliper Lynx* Mustard Silver Dart SOAR X-30 NASP* X-33* SpaceShipThree* * indicates suborbital vehicles

v t e Air-launched space vehicles and rockets Air launch Spaceplanes X-15 SpaceShipOne SpaceShipTwo Sounding rockets Jaguar Sparoair Orbital launchers Pilot Caleb Pegasus LauncherOne Air-to-space missiles ASM-135 Air-launched ballistic missiles Kh-47M2 Kinzhal LGM-30 Minuteman GAM-87 Skybolt

v t e Ansari X Prize X Prize Foundation Competitors Armadillo Aerospace ARCA Space Corporation Bristol Spaceplanes Canadian Arrow da Vinci Project Interorbital Systems Mojave Aerospace Ventures* Space Transport Corporation Winner Mojave Aerospace Ventures Scaled Composites Burt Rutan Vulcan Inc. Paul Allen Tier One SpaceShipOne X Flight 1 X Flight 2 White Knight One Brian Binnie Mike Melvill Peter Siebold People Amir Ansari Anousheh Ansari Peter Diamandis Media Black Sky: The Race For Space How to Make a Spaceship Related Virgin Galactic The Spaceship Company Tier 1b White Knight Two SpaceShipTwo X Prize Cup XCOR EZ Rocket Rocket Racing League * — indicates winning team

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [SpaceShipOne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.