America's Space Prize

The rules for the new $50 million America's Space Prize have been set. This is a very exciting development in the privatization of space travel. This competition takes over where the Ansari X Prize left off. To win the Ansari prize , the competitor needed only ascend to the fringes of space and be capable of carrying 3 passengers. To win the America's Space Prize however, the competitor will need to lauch 5 people into space and maintain them there for two full orbits. If you are adventurous enough to wish to compete, here are the rules you must conform to:

• The spacecraft must reach a minimum altitude of 400 kilometers (approximately 250 miles);


• The spacecraft must reach a minimum velocity sufficient to complete two (2) full orbits at altitude before returning to Earth;


• The spacecraft must carry no less than a crew of five (5) people;


• The spacecraft must dock or demonstrate its ability to dock with a Bigelow Aerospace inflatable space habitat, and be capable of remaining on station at least six (6) months;


• The spacecraft must perform two (2) consecutive, safe and successful orbital missions within a period of sixty (60) calendar days, subject to Government regulations;


• No more than twenty percent (20 percent) of the spacecraft may be composed of expendable hardware;


• The spacecraft must complete its two (2) missions safely and successfully, with all five (5) crew members aboard for the second qualifying flight, before the competition's deadline of Jan. 10, 2010.


• The contestant must have its principal place of business in the United States of America.


• The Competitor must not accept of utilize government development funding related to this contest of any kind, nor shall there be any government ownership of the competitor. Using government test facilities shall be permitted.


• The spacecraft must complete its two (2) missions safely and successfully, with all five (5) crew members aboard for the second qualifying flight, before the competition's deadline of Jan. 10, 2010.