SpaceShipOne, the first private manned spacecraft, is undergoing final preparations before its historic flight to the edge of space today.
The craft, built by aviation pioneer Burt Rutan, will be launched into the sky by its carrier, White Knight, then rocket upwards to 100km.
No private craft has ever been so high. In May, it reached 64km in a test flight, doubling its last best.
The attempt over California's Mojave Desert is due to launch at 6:30am.
Rutan and his team from his company, Scaled Composites, hope the flight will take them closer to winning the Ansari X-prize of US$10 million awarded to the first non-government, manned flight into space.
The as yet unnamed pilot will also rocket into the record books to become the first civilian to fly a spaceship out of Earth's atmosphere.
If the mission is a success, SpaceShipOne will attempt the X-prize at a later stage.
To beat 25 other teams to the X-prize, SpaceShipOne must reach 100km -- space's official boundary -- twice in two weeks with a crew of three.
When the X-prize is claimed, it could open up the skies to future tourist trips to the edge of space for those bored of the usual beach holiday.
Today's historic flight is being attempted early in the day because it is less likely to be very windy at that time and a lower Sun angle affords a better view.
High winds or cloudy skies could jeopardize the flight plans.
If the weather does behave, today's flight will see White Knight lift off from the runway in front of gathered crowds. SpaceShipOne will be carried by the craft to an altitude of 15km.
That should take an hour, after which SpaceShipOne will be unleashed into the skies.
It will glide very briefly before firing up its rocket for about 80 seconds. It will blast off to its target height of 100km in a vertical climb at Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound).
When it has reached its target altitude, the vehicle will change its wing configuration to allow for high drag, and will start to fall back towards Earth during which the pilot will be weightless.
At re-entry, the ship's special wing configuration will allow it to glide back down to Earth.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS