SpaceShipOne won the $10 million X Prize by being the first private space vehicle to make a round trip to suborbital space twice in two weeks. But more money has been put up by hotel mogul Robert Bigelow. Fifty million is the next prize, for the first private spaceship to take five people to orbit twice in two weeks.
Bigelow wants bigger spacecraft to fill his space hotels. He's been working on the concept for years. What is really interesting is that much of the private development is being funded by Internet billionaires. Wired has the full article. The Internet is laying the seeds for the greatest economic expansion in the history of the world. When the Space Economy begins to kick in, about ten years from now, the business opportunities and new businesses it will create will dwarf the dot-com expansion. It will also be more solid, because unlike the dot-com companies, you won't be able to go to space with a business plan and a Web site. It will take solid, careful development work and a lot of sweat, tears, risk, and yes, even death. Space has been, is, and will continue to be a risky business. But it won't stop our children, who will have their eyes on the stars.