Washington State-Based Ansari X Prize Contestant's Spacecraft Explodes

Posted on: Aug. 9th, 2004 || Source: space.com | E-mail Article | Print Article

QUEETS, Wash. -- A team taking a low-budget stab at the $10 million Ansari X Prize for private manned spaceflight suffered a setback Sunday, when their rocket malfunctioned and exploded after shooting less than 1,000 feet in the air.

No one was hurt in the test of the Rubicon 1 just south of Olympic National Park. The 23-foot-long, 38-inch-diameter spacecraft held three dummies simulating the weight of astronauts.

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