As the SpaceShipOne gang is poised to claim the $10 million Ansari X-Prize by proving the private sector can conduct back-to-back suborbital space flights, some already want more.
Space.com reports that Robert Bigelow, chief of Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace, is planning a $50 million prize to spur the development of an orbital vehicle capable of carrying up to seven astronauts to an orbital outpost by the end of the decade.
Aviation Week and Space Technology reports that Bigelow may announce this week a new $50-million space launch contest called America's Space Prize.
America's Space Prize to be patterned after the Ansari X-Prize will seek to spur development of a low-cost commercial manned orbital vehicle capable of launching 5-7 astronauts at a time by the end of the decade.
It looks like SpaceShipOne is just the beginning. The age of Private Space Development may be at hand.
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