SpaceShipOne Flight June 21, 2004

On June 21, 2004, the first privately funded spacecraft named SpaceShipOne successfully reached outer space. The spacecraft was piloted by Mike Melvill and was designed by Scaled Composites, a private aerospace company. SpaceShipOne reached outer space with the flight assistance of another craft named White Knight. After reaching White Knight's target altitude, the plane dropped SpaceShipOne, which then used its rocket engines to reach outer space. After 24 minutes of space flight, it re-entered the atmosphere smoothly. Following this historical event, many private companies also ventured into space.
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