X Prize Competition Gets New Sponsor, Amended Name

An anonymous reader writes "The X Prize Foundation today announced that entrepreneurs Anousheh Ansari and Amir Ansari have made a multi-million dollar contribution to the X Prize Foundation. As a result, the X Prize Competition is being renamed to the Ansari X Prize Competition." However, the X Prize rules stay the same: "The ANSARI X PRIZE will award $10 million to the first private organization to build and fly a ship that can carry three passengers 100 km (62 miles) into space, return safely to Earth and repeat the launch with the same ship within two weeks. Both flights must be completed by January 1st, 2005."

Comments

Following the money

[ObviousGuy]

Aside from the fact that Iran is off-limits to most Americans and has been since the overthrow of the Shah, one has to wonder what the motivation of these "angels" are. The press release does not say, but it stands to reason that ownership of all advances and technologies must be turned over in part to the benefactors.

Considering how rich these guys already are, this seems like a way to squeeze more money from the public at large by garnering a monopoly on private space faring. 10 million US is a small price to pay for that much upside. Even the downside is mitigated by the fact that if a team doesn't succeed by 1/1/2005, the whole thing is called off and no money is paid out.

Call my cynical, but Iranians wanting in on rockets capable of doubling as ICBMs worry me.