X P R I Z E

ASSOCIATED PRESS
APRIL 7, 2004


FAA LICENSES SPACESHIPONE AS FIRST PRIVATE ROCKET
By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The government announced Wednesday that it has issued the first license for a manned suborbital rocket, a step toward opening space flight to private individuals for the first time.

The Federal Aviation Administration gave a one-year license to Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., headed by Burt Rutan. Rutan, who hopes to make affordable space travel a reality in a decade, is best known for designing the Voyager airplane that made the first nonstop, unrefueled flight around the world in 1986.

"This is a big step," FAA spokesman Henry Price said.
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