Burt Rutan's Ansari X Prize entry, SpaceShip One, is set to make it second qualifying flight in order to win the 10 million dollar prize this morning.

NASA-TV is set to stream the flight live beginning at 9:30A ET.

The ship, piloted by 51 year-old Brian Binnie, will be ferried aloft by a Rutan-designed plane called the White Knight to 50,000 feet, where it will be released. SpaceShip One's engine will ignite, thrusting the ship upward to an altitude of more than 60 miles above the surface of the earth. The ship will glide back to a landing in the Mojave desert about an hour and a half after the initial take off of the tandem White Knight/SpaceShip One pair.

UPDATE: The Virgin Galactic/SpaceShip One team is also streaming live video now.

Posted by: mhking at 04:49 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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