Scaled Composites
Scaled Composites was founded in 1982 in Mojave, California by famous aircraft designer Burt Rutan. The company was founded to develop experimental aircraft, but now focuses on designing and developing concept craft and prototype fabrication processes for aircraft and other vehicles. It is known for interesting designs and for its use of non-metal, composite materials.The company made a splash in April 2003 when it unveiled that it was working on a personal spacecraft, in an attempt to win the X Prize for the first private, manned spaceflight. On the 17th December 2003, they announced the first supersonic aircraft flight by a privately funded company, after their SpaceShipOne experimental rocket plane made its first powered flight, reaching 68000 feet and 930mph (Mach 1.2). On the same day, Paul Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft, confirmed publicly the rumors that he is the sponsor behind the SpaceShipOne venture.
On April 1, 2004, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued the company what it called the world's first license for a sub-orbital manned rocket flight. The license was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, which has backed licenses for more than 150 commercial launches of unmanned launch vehicles in its 20 years, but never a license for manned flight on a sub-orbital trajectory.
Rutan is probably best known for his Voyager aircraft, which his brother, Dick Rutan, and Jeanna Yeager flew around the world without refueling, in 1986.
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