SpaceShipOne wins the Ansari X Prize for Private Manned Space Flight on October 4th, 2004

Fun Fact(s): Funding for the Ansari X prize was unconventional in that rather than being a pot of cash held in an account somewhere by the organizers it was actually what is known as a “hole in one” insurance policy…which allowed for near immediate payment of the prize by the insurance company with the donors funding payments to keep the policy starting in 1996 and paid up to 2005.

The $10 million dollars (which is around $20 million adjusted for inflation) attracted 26 teams and their collective efforts resulted in an estimated $100 million investment in developing new or refining old technologies for use in space travel.

[SpaceShipOne flight 17P won the $10 million Ansari X Prize]
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