Editing SpaceShipOne (section)

{{Short description|American experimental spaceplane}}
{{Redirect|Space Ship One|the album by Paul Gilbert|Space Ship One (album)}}
{{Infobox aircraft
  |name = SpaceShipOne
  |image = SpaceShipOne Flight 15P photo D Ramey Logan.jpg
  |caption = SpaceShipOne after its flight into space, June 2004.
  |type = [[Spaceplane]]
  |manufacturer =[[Scaled Composites]]
  |designer = [[Burt Rutan]] 
  |first_flight = {{Start date|2003|05|20|df=y}}
  |retired = {{End date|2004|10|04|df=y}}
  |status =
  |primary_user = [[Mojave Aerospace Ventures]]
  |produced =
  |number_built = 1
  |unit cost =
  |developed_from=
  |variants =
  |developed_into= [[SpaceShipTwo]]
  |sole example of type?= Yes <!-- REQUIRED only Y or N -->
  |aircraft name        = REQUIRED IF STANDING ALONE<!-- Name given this aircraft (not its type). If no name given, use registration number, or however this individual aircraft is most usually identified -->
  |other_names          = <!--Other names (nicknames, nose art names) this aircraft is known by-->
  |construction_number  = <!-- manufacturer's construction number -->
  |construction_date    = <!-- either roll-out date or span of time for lengthy projects, whichever seems more appropriate -->
  |civil_registration   = <!-- any civil registrations carried by this aircraft -->
  |military_serial      = <!-- any military serial numbers carried by this aircraft -->
  |radio_code           = <!-- military radio codes where this is a commonly-used way of identifying this aircraft (eg. US, British, and German military aircraft of WWII -->
  |owners               = <!-- owners or operators, whether private individuals, companies, or military services -->
  |in_service           = <!-- time in military or revenue service, as a range of dates -->
  |flights              = <!-- number of flights made by this aircraft, usually only relevant for an aircraft no longer flying -->
  |total_hours          = <!-- total number of hours flown by this aircraft, usually only relevant for an aircraft no longer flying -->
  |total_distance       = <!-- total distance flown by this aircraft, usually only relevant for an aircraft no longer flying -->
  |fate                 = <!-- fate/disposition of this aircraft -->
  |preservation         = [[National Air and Space Museum]] <!-- where this aircraft is currently preserved (if it is) -->
}}

'''SpaceShipOne''' is an experimental [[air launch|air-launched]] [[rocket-powered aircraft]] with [[sub-orbital spaceflight]] capability at speeds of up to  {{convert|3000|ft/s|mph|abbr=on}} / {{convert|910|m/s|kph|abbr=on}}
using a [[hybrid rocket]] motor. The design features a unique "[[Feathering (reentry)|feathering]]" [[atmospheric reentry]] system where the rear half of the wing and the [[twin tail]] booms folds 70 degrees upward along a hinge running the length of the wing; this increases [[drag (physics)|drag]] while retaining stability. SpaceShipOne completed the first [[human spaceflight|crewed]] [[private spaceflight]] in 2004. That same year, it won the US$10 million [[Ansari X Prize]] and was immediately retired from active service. Its [[Mother ship (aviation)|mother ship]] was named "[[Scaled Composites White Knight|White Knight]]". Both craft were developed and flown by [[Mojave Aerospace Ventures]], which was a joint venture between [[Paul Allen]] and [[Scaled Composites]], [[Burt Rutan]]'s aviation company. Allen provided the funding of approximately US$25 million.

Rutan has indicated that ideas about the project began as early as 1994 and the full-time development cycle time to the 2004 accomplishments was about three years.{{citation needed|date=July 2018|reason=Not mentioned in the main text.}} The vehicle first achieved supersonic flight on December 17, 2003, which was also the one-hundredth anniversary of the [[Wright Brothers]]' historic first powered flight. SpaceShipOne's first official spaceflight, known as [[SpaceShipOne flight 15P|flight 15P]], was piloted by [[Mike Melvill]]. A few days before that flight, the [[Mojave Air and Space Port]] was the first commercial spaceport licensed in the United States. A few hours after that flight, Melvill became the first licensed U.S. [[commercial astronaut]]. The overall project name was "[[Scaled Composites Tier One|Tier One]]" which has evolved into [[Tier 1b]] with a goal of taking a successor ship's first passengers into space.

The achievements of SpaceShipOne are more comparable to those of the [[North American X-15|X-15]] than to those of orbiting spacecraft like the [[Space Shuttle]]. Accelerating a spacecraft to [[orbital speed]] requires more than 60 times as much energy as accelerating it to Mach 3. It would also require an elaborate heat shield to safely dissipate that energy during re-entry.<ref name="WiredElonMuskIsBettingHisFortuneOnAMissionBeyondEarthsOrbit">{{cite news|last1=Hoffman|first1=Carl|title=Elon Musk Is Betting His Fortune on a Mission Beyond Earth's Orbit|url=https://www.wired.com/2007/05/ff-space-musk/|access-date=30 August 2007|publisher=[[Wired (website)|Wired]]|date=22 May 2007}}</ref>

SpaceShipOne's official model designation is Scaled Composites Model 316.