Rubicon 2 and other losing X Prize developments

[jerryb]

I was fixing the fins on my estes rubicon once again, this time with 5min epoxy. Hopefully the last...

anyway, I googled the Space Transport Corporation, and could find nothing. originally, they had plans for a 2nd and 3rd design. Now you cannot even find the website.

I was wondering if anyone had any news about any of the other Xprize developers going forward with their projects, or working on new stuff.

you would think that ONE of them would be doing something.

reading the writeup for the rubicon, that group looked to be a very low-budget affair.

later
Jerryb

 

[Pantherjon]

Most of them were..Scaled Composite got a big shot in the arm when Gary Allen helped sponsor them..And then landing the Virgin Galactic deal with Richard Branson didn't hurt

 

[graylensman]

Recent issue of Air & Space featured an article on Rocketplane. They were an X prize contender that might have lost the initial prize, but might be in it for the long haul. Part of the company has been contracted by NASA to develop (unmanned, IIRC) orbital vehicles. The other part still pursues suborbital space tourism. Rocketplane's vehicle is in essence two Learjet fuselages put together, with reaction controls and a rocket engine in the rear. A former NASA shuttle astronaut is slated to fly the thing, with a target launch of 2008.

 

[brianc]

Gary Allen

Paul Allen...

I googled the Space Transport Corporation, and could find nothing

The wayback machine has a copy of the STC site-
https://web.archive.org/web/20051210221239/https://www.space-transport.com/

 

[Pantherjon]

Paul Allen...

Yeah, him, the other half of the 2 guys who founded Mickey...ummm..Microsoft! Must have had music on my mind GARY Allen is a musician...