FORKS — Space Transport Corp. officials say they are undeterred by a competitor’s rocket plane’s successful flight Monday to claim the $10 million Ansari X Prize meant to encourage space tourism.
The two Forks-based aerospace engineers behind the Rubicon spacecraft say they will continue their quest to build an affordable space tourism vehicle.
In California on Monday morning, SpaceShipOne took off underneath the belly of a mother plane that carried it about nine miles over the Mojave Desert.
From there, SpaceShipOne fired its engine and streaked skyward at about three times the speed of sound on a half-hour flight that took it more than 62 miles high, generally considered the point where space begins.
The spacecraft then glided safely back to Earth, like it did a week ago.
The combined manned flights earned SpaceShipOne the X Prize that had been sought by Space Transport and about a dozen other rocket visionaries around the world.
“We think it is great, that they were successful, and we congratulate them,” said Phillip Storm, president of Space Transport Corp.
“We are going to continue to go forward with our plans.”