During its return to Earth, a specially designed flyable parachute, called a ballute, will deploy at about 10,000 feet (3,050 meters) to protect and stabilize it during reentry. It will descend guided by a Global
Positioning System (GPS) to a specific landing zone.
The 25-story balloon will lift the vehicle to an altitude of
40,000 feet.
Nuytco Research of Vancouver will build a $250,000 spacesuit for Feeney. Ideaspeoplemoney.com, a Toronto-based venture capital company, is providing the financing.
The X PRIZE is modeled after the $25,000 Orteig Prize, which inspired Charles Lindbergh to cross the Atlantic Ocean on his 1927 New York-to-Paris flight. Erik Lindbergh, a grandson of the historic aviator, is a board member of the foundation offering the prize.
The development of a partially or completely reusable launcher could revolutionize space transportation by making flights to space more affordable. Today, most payloads are launched by costly throwaway rockets, which evolved from missile technology used during the Cold War. The price tag for such boosters costs anywhere from $10 million to $800 million a launch.
The goal of the X PRIZE is to stimulate the creation of a new generation of launch vehicles designed to carry passengers into space at a much more affordable price.
Since 1996, 18 teams have signed up to design novel methods of getting people into space in an affordable, repeatable and safe method.
British-team Starchaser Industries has already successfully test launched a two-stage model of its rocket a few weeks ago from Morcambe Bay, Britain.
Company chief Steven Bennett said he is "very optimistic that we will launch our first piloted rocket by the end of 2001."
Contestants competing for the X PRIZE come from five countries -- Russia, Argentina, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
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