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Contact: Diane
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ISRAELI
ROCKET TEAM ENTERS PRIVATE RACE TO SPACE – PLEDGES TO CONTINUE DREAM
$10 Million X PRIZE 'Race to
Space'
St.
Louis, MO (February 5, 2003)
–With the entry of IL Aerospace Technologies
(ILAT)
into the X PRIZE Competition, Israel
became the seventh nation to compete for the $10 Million purse for the first
private team to build and fly a piloted ship to the edge of space and back. This
brings the total number of X PRIZE competitors to 24 teams from seven countries:
Argentina, Canada, Israel, Romania, Russia, UK and the United States.
The
entry is particularly significant in light of the recent loss of Colonel Ilan
Ramon on the Shuttle Columbia. “Col. Ramon was a true hero in our country, and his loss
affected every Israeli in
the deepest sense,” said Dov Chartarifsky,
IL Aerospace President. “He will forever remain in our hearts and minds. We want to
honor him by carrying on his quest for space travel. We honor Col. Ramon
not only because he defended our
country on several occasions throughout his distinguished military career,
but also because he was a great father, husband and son, an
outstanding soldier and patriot, and a dear friend to all of us. Col. Ramon was
and always will be a true hero of the state of
Israel.”
“We at IL Aerospace Technologies
are proud and honored to represent the first Israeli team to compete for the X
PRIZE,” continued Chartarifsky.
“The opportunity puts us in the unique position to expand our country’s
presence in space. We are now
attempting to write a new chapter in Israel’s space achievements. I strongly believe that space
tourism and the privatization of space as a whole is the next logical
step. If governments are not willing to support this notion, it is up to
us -- the private sector -- to make it happen. The X PRIZE provides a
great platform for achieving this goal.”
“Following the Columbia Tragedy, X PRIZE Teams around the
world have reaffirmed their commitment to pursue the goal of achieving private
commercial spaceflight,” stated Dr. Peter Diamandis, Chairman of the X PRIZE
Foundation today. “We are particularly pleased to know that the ILAT team of
Israel will continue forward in the spirit of
exploration.
“The X PRIZE remains
committed to supporting the efforts of ILAT and the other 23 brave and
innovative teams competing to design and build the first private spaceships of
tomorrow,” continued Dr. Diamandis.
“History teaches us that the early days of any frontier or new
transportation system are the most risky. The best way to overcome that
risk is manufacture spacecraft incrementally and fly them more frequently --
learning from our experience and making improvements.”
ILAT
is
developing an X PRIZE vehicle, Negev 5 (www.xprize.org/teams/ilat.html),
that will be a self-sufficient reusable suborbital space vehicle, capable of
launching three adults to 100 kilometers altitude (62 miles) twice in two
weeks. The Negev 5 is an innovative
design that uses a large super-pressure helium balloon as a first stage to carry
the rocket and crew capsule to the upper reaches of the atmosphere (82,000 feet)
before the rocket engines are ignited taking the vehicle and crew into
space. This design approach
overcomes most of the atmospheric drag and allows the Negev 5 to be launched and
recovered anywhere in the world, from land or sea, without the need of runways,
assist aircraft, costly installations or complicated procedures. The propulsion
system will utilize the latest hybrid rocket technology.
ILAT was
founded with the principle objective of developing a reusable and cost effective
technology aimed at transforming space tourism into a reality and expanding the
human desire for space exploration. At present, the ILAT team is comprised of
five team members with a combined disciplinary experience in physics, mechanics,
aeronautics and material science. All team members are veterans of the
Israeli Armed Forces and have worked for leading aerospace companies in Israel
and abroad. The ILAT team will continue to expand by welcoming additional
professionals as well as sponsors, students and volunteers from all walks of
life that share the same team vision.
About the X PRIZE (www.xprize.org)
The X PRIZE
competition, (www.xprize.org) is the first space prize
competition and patterned from the more than 100 aviation prizes offered in the
early 20th Century that created today's $300 billion-dollar commercial air
transport industry. The most significant of these prizes was the Orteig
Prize, won by Charles Lindbergh for his 1927 flight from New York to
Paris.
To win the X PRIZE, private teams must finance, build and
fly a three-person spacecraft 100 km (62 miles) to the edge of space, return
safely, and then demonstrate the reusability of their vehicle by flying it again
within two-weeks. A winner of the X PRIZE is expected within the next 12-24
months. The goal of the X PRIZE is to make space travel frequent and affordable
for the general public.
# # #
NOTE TO EDITORS
Electronic images of
all X PRIZE entries are available on the X PRIZE website (www.xprize.org)
or by contacting Ian Murphy at 202-662-1280 or via email: press@xprize.org. Video B-ROLL is available in beta
format upon request. Interviews with Dr. Diamandis or the teams
are possible by contacting Ian Murphy at 202-662-1280.