Scaled Composites, founded in 1982 by Burt Rutan and currently owned by Northrop Grumman, is an American aerospace company specializing in the design, development, and prototype fabrication of experimental aircraft and other vehicles. The company is renowned for its unconventional designs, use of composite materials, and for SpaceShipOne, which won the Ansari X Prize. Scaled Composites has partnered with organizations like Virgin Galactic and NASA on projects like SpaceShipTwo, Proteus, and the X-38, contributing to space tourism and advanced aerospace research.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Scaled Composites is a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman and collaborated on the XRQ-73 SHEPARD development.
The Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo (SS2) is an air-launched suborbital spaceplane type designed for space tourism.
The Spaceship Company manufactures the Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo and is a California-based company owned by Virgin Galactic.
The Scaled Composites Model 339 SpaceShipTwo (SS2) is an air-launched suborbital spaceplane designed for space tourism.
The first SpaceShipTwo vehicle, VSS Enterprise, was lost in an October 2014 test flight accident that killed Scaled Composites pilot Mike Alsbury.
VMS Eve was built by Scaled Composites in Mojave for Virgin Galactic and was unveiled in 2008.
Scaled Composites flew SpaceShipOne on 2004-10-04, as the second of two prize‑qualifying missions to win the Ansari X Prize.
WhiteKnightTwo was built by Scaled Composites and began flying in 2008.
Scaled Composites won the original $10,000,000 X Prize in 2004 with SpaceShipOne.
Chris Boshuizen traveled to the Mojave Desert to watch Scaled Composites’ SpaceShipOne win the $10,000,000 Ansari X-Prize in 2004.
SpaceShipOne was built by Scaled Composites and funded by Paul Allen and won the $10,000,000 Ansari XPRIZE in 2004.
Scaled Composites’ SpaceShipOne and its Ansari XPRIZE success in 2004 influenced early commercial suborbital tourism efforts.
Richard Branson announced plans for Virgin Galactic in September 2004 and agreed to license technology from Scaled Composites for a SpaceShipOne-derived vehicle.
A ThinKom ThinAir Ka2517 phased-array antenna mounted on Scaled Composites’ Proteus high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft demonstrated a 25 Mbps downlink and a 5 Mbps uplink at an altitude of more than 15,0 m.
SpaceShipOne, developed by Scaled Composites and funded by Paul Allen, won the Ansari X Prize in October 2004.
The FAA announced plans to award astronaut wings in 2004 during Scaled Composites’ testing of its SpaceShipOne vehicle.
Plans to develop SpaceShipTwo date back to Richard Branson’s formation of Virgin Galactic in September 2004 and plans to license SpaceShipOne technology from Scaled Composites and Paul Allen.
The Ansari X Prize had a $10,000,000 purse that was split evenly with Scaled Composites.
SpaceDev produced the hybrid rocket motor used by Scaled Composites’ SpaceShipOne suborbital vehicle that won the $10,000,000 Ansari X Prize in 2004.