Second spaceship launch will proceed

LOS ANGELES – The creators of a private rocket plane will go ahead with plans for another launch next week in a quest to claim a multimillion-dollar prize, despite a harrowing flight in which the spacecraft rolled dramatically while hurtling toward the edge of the atmosphere.

Organizers of the $10 million Ansari X Prize announced without elaboration Thursday night that SpaceShipOne designer Burt Rutan had told them he would go ahead with Monday morning’s scheduled flight.

The prize, intended to spur development of space tourism, is a competition for privately developed spacecraft capable of carrying three people – or a pilot and equivalent weight – 62 miles high. The competition requires two successful flights by the same craft within a 14-day span.

The question of whether to proceed with the second flight arose after SpaceShipOne unexpectedly began corkscrewing as it soared toward space during its first competition flight Wednesday.

The flight director recommended that pilot Michael Melvill shut down the rocket, but Melvill chose to let the motor burn a few seconds longer to ensure he had reached the target altitude.

Melvill, 63, kept the craft on course and brought the roll to a halt in space.

After landing, he said the roll was controllable and that he had never been worried. He characterized the spaceship as working normally, and said he probably inadvertently caused the roll.