X-Prize attempt scheduled

It's official. Scaled Composites has announced that it has officially notified the X-Prize organisers that SpaceShipOne will make its first official attempt at the $10m prize on September 29. SpaceShipOne must make two successful flights to an altitude of at least 100km carrying a pilot and the equivalent ballast of two passengers within a fortnight of each other. However, Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan has said that if the September 29 flight is successful, the second flight could be as early as October 4, the 47th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik.