Just out of curiosity

[den]

What was stopping private companies from developing re-usable orbital vehicles before the X-Prize came along? Why are we seeing this now after 50 years of humans in space?

Comments

[level-head.livejournal.com]

It still takes big boosters to get into orbit. SpaceShipOne cannot do this. So, in a sense, you cannot get anywhere "useful" with it. The area that it operates in at its peak is the commonly and thoroughly explored area of sounding rockets, which are quite cheap.

Nevertheless, it's a beginning! I await the next steps with keen interest.

===|==============/ Level Head