Counting Down To Blast Off

The first every X Prize Cup is scheduled to make its October debut in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The event, scheduled to take place October 6th to 9th will showcase spacecraft prototypes, rocket planes, and numerous demonstrations and launches.

Although no teams will launching vehicles into space at the event, there will be liftoffs, takeoffs and rocket flames, during the four-day event. It's aimed at setting the stage for contests to come, according to Peter Diamandis, chairman and founder of the X Prize Foundation.

"Our goal is to grow into an event that does bring in tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands of people," Diamandis said Friday during a Las Cruces news briefing.

Texas-based Armadillo Aerospace will launch a small version of its vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing spacecraft, built for this demonstration. It should be capable of hovering 20 to 30 feet off the ground, said Armadillo's Russell Blink to MSNBC. "We'll be doing a short hover demonstration, and depending on what the vehicle's performance is, if we want to apply for an FAA waiver we can let it fly higher."

Former astronaut Richard Searfoss plans to show off XCOR Aerospace's EZ-Rocket plane from Mojave, Californis. He's planning several demonstration flights.

Starchaser Industries recently set up headquarters in New Mexico and will test fire a rocket engine that could be used on its suborbital test craft in 2006. "We'll strap it down so it's not going to go anywhere, and then we'll light it up," said Steve Bennett, Starchaser's director. The company will also show off a mockup of their crew capsule for public tours.

Oklahoma's Rocketplane Ltd., Canada's da Vinci Project, Beyond-Earth Enterprises, The Tripoli Rocketry Association and others plan to show off their technology, or even to launch rockets up to 30,000 feet during the event.

New Mexico plans to develop a Southwest Regional Spaceport near Las Cruces in the near future, supported by $9 million in state funds. Diamandis said private-sector spaceflight could open new development opportunities for New Mexico.

"There are a number of very serious efforts that will be flying in the next six to 18 months," said Diamandis. He said the event will show that there are several serious players in the commercial race for space.

FMI: www.xprizefoundation.com