Reactions
NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe issued a statement about the flight, saying:
- We applaud the remarkable achievement of Burt Rutan, Paul Allen and test pilot Mike Melvill following the first successful suborbital flight of SpaceShipOne. Not unlike the first U.S. and Soviet space travelers in 1961, and China's first successful spaceflight last October, these private citizens are pioneers in their own right. They are doing much to open the door to a new marketplace offering the experience of weightlessness and suborbital space flight to the public. We congratulate the SpaceShipOne team and wish all those who may follow safe flights.
The X Prize Foundation issued a press release about the flight:
- We congratulate the entire Scaled Composites' team, in particular Burt Rutan and Mike Melvill for achieving this tremendous milestone. We also thank Paul Allen for his willingness to help open this critical, but risky frontier. The entire X PRIZE organization looks forward to receiving Scaled Composites' 60-day notice indicating they are ready to make their attempt to win the $10 million purse. Once such notice is received, we will make the information publicly available.
The Federal Aviation Administration presented Melvill with astronaut wings in a ceremony at 10:22, two hours after landing.
Read more about this topic: SpaceShipOne Flight 15P
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