Rocket Races. Bring Earplugs.
Space industry leader launches rocket racing league to help promote private efforts.
October 3, 2005
A space industry leader said Monday hes launching a rocket racing league that will enable spectators to watch races between rocket planes, saying the cosmic derbies will help open up the space frontier.
This will bring the resources of space to the people of earth, Peter Diamandis, founder of the X Prize, a foundation of space-related prizes, said in New York City. Over the last 40 years, Ive grown tired of waiting for the government to do it. I want to spark the enterprise space effort the same way it happened in aviation, computers, and the Internet.
The rocket races will use rocket planes known as X-Racers participating in vertical races with high-speed turns. The league will showcase a prototype model known as the EZ-Rocket next Sunday in Las Cruces, New Mexico, at the X Prize Cup.
Dr. Diamandis, whos also founder of the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, said he considers the rocket races to be a critical commercial step in opening up the space frontier. He intends to make the rocket races into events that the public can participate in by holding regional races around the country at local air fields.
Visitors to the events will be able to examine and feel the planes for themselves, as well as fly simulators.
The races will culminate in the semifinals in Reno, Nevada, next September, with the finals to be held in Las Cruces in conjunction with the X Prize next October. The X Prize Foundation is partnering with the Reno Air Races on the endeavor.
The league is privately funded by private equity and private investors, with investors kicking in about $1 million each.
Better than Nascar
Dr. Diamandis had the idea for the Rocket Racing League about five years ago and discussed it with league co-founder Granger Whitelaw, managing director of the venture capital firm BlueCar Partners.
This is all about fun for me, said Mr. Whitelaw. When I saw this rocket plane in the Mojave Desert, the feeling and vibration and sound were so exciting. Its nothing like Nascar. It blows you away.
The rocket planes will offer a heads-up display for the pilots where they will see a tunnel to help them steer the rocket planes over a vertical 3D race course.
Viewers at home will be able to view the 3D course on their TV screens, similar to the way the 50-yard line is superimposed for football games.
The league is designing a virtual racetrack that will enable viewers to watch the planes racing as well as design games that children can practice with at home and race other kids around the world. Players will be able to compete against the X Racer planes live on TV during the races.
The racing events will be held at air fields where there will be side-by-side takeoffs, and viewing stands where fans will be able to watch the action on Jumbotron screens. The league will also provide GPS (global positioning system) tracking for all the vehicles to make it easier for fans to follow the races.
In addition, the league will put cameras inside the cockpit and on the wing so spectators can view the action from inside and outside the rocket planes. Spectators will be able to watch at home on TV or through their computers.
The league has already filed for a number of patents on the rocket-racing technology, as well as some of the gaming, software, and 3D GPS capabilities.
The league plans to create reality TV shows focusing on how the pilots are recruited and trained to get the public to know more about them. Our job is to make these pilots heroes and make people care about who they are, said Dr. Diamandis.
Dr. Diamandis hopes to participate in the races as a pilot as well.
Former astronaut Colonel Rock Searfoss will be piloting the EZ-Rocket, built by XCOR Aerospace, next Sunday and trying out how well it works. Crucial for rocket racing is the ability to turn off and relight the engines, he said. I will do multiple shutoffs and relights in Las Cruces and demonstrate where were headed.
Sponsorship and Merchandise
The league has already begun talking to soft drink companies and other corporations that will be able to sponsor individual pilots and teams. The league also has plans for merchandising, including hats, t-shirts, and rocket plane models.
The league is also in talks with major TV channels about broadcast rights. It will be unlike anything youve seen on TV before, said Mr. Whitelaw.
By 2007, the league hopes to have 10 rocket planes racing. The prize money will be similar to that in Nascar and Indianapolis car races, with a purse in the millions of dollars generated by sponsors of the league.
The league will be a self-governing body, self-funded by equity investors, with rules put together by a governing body, along with specifications for planes and qualifications for racers.
Nevertheless, there will surely be questions of safety for both the pilots and the fans who attend the races in person.
The league is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for licensing, and with other federal, state, and local authorities to provide for the safety of the pilots and the live audience.
The FAA supports the project. The Rocket Racing League takes the public awareness of rockets to a whole new level, said Patricia Smith, associate administrator of the FAA for space flight.
It will bring entrepreneurship and public appeal into a format reminiscent of the golden years of aviation and make rocket flight more tangible to the public, she added. The Federal Aviation Administration stands ready to enable this business through an efficient and responsive regulatory approach.
The FAA will facilitate the process of assessing the air worthiness of the vehicles and make a determination of whether they are able to fly in the high-speed races.
Top Gun Flying
The rocket planes will be flying in the range of 200 to 300 miles per hour. The initial engines will run a combination of liquid oxygen and isopropyl alcohol, which produce a clear flame behind the plane.
The fuel source will later be replaced by a kerosene engine that spouts a 20-foot brilliant flame and offers added visibility to spectators.
Imagine not one but 10 of these fire-breathing dragons flying around the racecourse with vertical climbs and sharp turns, said Dr. Diamandis. The races will feature 10 of the rocket planes flying and competing.
The 1,800-pound-thrust engines will allow the vehicles to take off vertically and ascend. The engines will allow four minutes of boost time and 12 minutes of glide time. The rocket planes will also have the ability to land to make a quick pit stop and reload on kerosene.
CNN also has an article
Space industry leader launches rocket racing league to help promote private efforts.
October 3, 2005
A space industry leader said Monday hes launching a rocket racing league that will enable spectators to watch races between rocket planes, saying the cosmic derbies will help open up the space frontier.
This will bring the resources of space to the people of earth, Peter Diamandis, founder of the X Prize, a foundation of space-related prizes, said in New York City. Over the last 40 years, Ive grown tired of waiting for the government to do it. I want to spark the enterprise space effort the same way it happened in aviation, computers, and the Internet.
The rocket races will use rocket planes known as X-Racers participating in vertical races with high-speed turns. The league will showcase a prototype model known as the EZ-Rocket next Sunday in Las Cruces, New Mexico, at the X Prize Cup.
Dr. Diamandis, whos also founder of the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, said he considers the rocket races to be a critical commercial step in opening up the space frontier. He intends to make the rocket races into events that the public can participate in by holding regional races around the country at local air fields.
Visitors to the events will be able to examine and feel the planes for themselves, as well as fly simulators.
The races will culminate in the semifinals in Reno, Nevada, next September, with the finals to be held in Las Cruces in conjunction with the X Prize next October. The X Prize Foundation is partnering with the Reno Air Races on the endeavor.
The league is privately funded by private equity and private investors, with investors kicking in about $1 million each.
Better than Nascar
Dr. Diamandis had the idea for the Rocket Racing League about five years ago and discussed it with league co-founder Granger Whitelaw, managing director of the venture capital firm BlueCar Partners.
This is all about fun for me, said Mr. Whitelaw. When I saw this rocket plane in the Mojave Desert, the feeling and vibration and sound were so exciting. Its nothing like Nascar. It blows you away.
The rocket planes will offer a heads-up display for the pilots where they will see a tunnel to help them steer the rocket planes over a vertical 3D race course.
Viewers at home will be able to view the 3D course on their TV screens, similar to the way the 50-yard line is superimposed for football games.
The league is designing a virtual racetrack that will enable viewers to watch the planes racing as well as design games that children can practice with at home and race other kids around the world. Players will be able to compete against the X Racer planes live on TV during the races.
The racing events will be held at air fields where there will be side-by-side takeoffs, and viewing stands where fans will be able to watch the action on Jumbotron screens. The league will also provide GPS (global positioning system) tracking for all the vehicles to make it easier for fans to follow the races.
In addition, the league will put cameras inside the cockpit and on the wing so spectators can view the action from inside and outside the rocket planes. Spectators will be able to watch at home on TV or through their computers.
The league has already filed for a number of patents on the rocket-racing technology, as well as some of the gaming, software, and 3D GPS capabilities.
The league plans to create reality TV shows focusing on how the pilots are recruited and trained to get the public to know more about them. Our job is to make these pilots heroes and make people care about who they are, said Dr. Diamandis.
Dr. Diamandis hopes to participate in the races as a pilot as well.
Former astronaut Colonel Rock Searfoss will be piloting the EZ-Rocket, built by XCOR Aerospace, next Sunday and trying out how well it works. Crucial for rocket racing is the ability to turn off and relight the engines, he said. I will do multiple shutoffs and relights in Las Cruces and demonstrate where were headed.
Sponsorship and Merchandise
The league has already begun talking to soft drink companies and other corporations that will be able to sponsor individual pilots and teams. The league also has plans for merchandising, including hats, t-shirts, and rocket plane models.
The league is also in talks with major TV channels about broadcast rights. It will be unlike anything youve seen on TV before, said Mr. Whitelaw.
By 2007, the league hopes to have 10 rocket planes racing. The prize money will be similar to that in Nascar and Indianapolis car races, with a purse in the millions of dollars generated by sponsors of the league.
The league will be a self-governing body, self-funded by equity investors, with rules put together by a governing body, along with specifications for planes and qualifications for racers.
Nevertheless, there will surely be questions of safety for both the pilots and the fans who attend the races in person.
The league is working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for licensing, and with other federal, state, and local authorities to provide for the safety of the pilots and the live audience.
The FAA supports the project. The Rocket Racing League takes the public awareness of rockets to a whole new level, said Patricia Smith, associate administrator of the FAA for space flight.
It will bring entrepreneurship and public appeal into a format reminiscent of the golden years of aviation and make rocket flight more tangible to the public, she added. The Federal Aviation Administration stands ready to enable this business through an efficient and responsive regulatory approach.
The FAA will facilitate the process of assessing the air worthiness of the vehicles and make a determination of whether they are able to fly in the high-speed races.
Top Gun Flying
The rocket planes will be flying in the range of 200 to 300 miles per hour. The initial engines will run a combination of liquid oxygen and isopropyl alcohol, which produce a clear flame behind the plane.
The fuel source will later be replaced by a kerosene engine that spouts a 20-foot brilliant flame and offers added visibility to spectators.
Imagine not one but 10 of these fire-breathing dragons flying around the racecourse with vertical climbs and sharp turns, said Dr. Diamandis. The races will feature 10 of the rocket planes flying and competing.
The 1,800-pound-thrust engines will allow the vehicles to take off vertically and ascend. The engines will allow four minutes of boost time and 12 minutes of glide time. The rocket planes will also have the ability to land to make a quick pit stop and reload on kerosene.
CNN also has an article
