SpaceShipOne Set for Launch in a Week

In just one week Scaled Composite's SpaceShipOne will make an attempt to become the first privately-built vehicle to reach space - an altitude of 100 km (62 miles). Thousands of people are expected to show up at the runway in California's Mojave Desert to watch the launch and suborbital flight. This won't be an official attempt to win the Ansari X Prize; however, but the company is planning to try for the $10 million prize if this flight is successful. Billionaire Paul Allen has contributed $20 million to the development of SpaceShipOne.