Tourism, Businesses Lead New Space Era; Commercial Ventures; The $10 million X Prize helped spark interest in advances in last frontier.(INTERNET & TECHNOLOGY)

Publication: Investor's Business Daily

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COPYRIGHT 2004 Investor's Business Daily, Inc.

Byline: BRIAN DEAGON

When it's time to review the most significant events of 2004, the launch of commercial space travel should make the list.

The success of SpaceShipOne in October, which set a record for the first human suborbital spaceflight, and the planned launch of the first satellite on a rocket built entirely with private money by SpaceX, have opened the door for commercial space ventures.

This comes 45 years after the launch of Russia's Sputnik ushered in the space age and inspired many of today's tech industry leaders.

"There is a new generation of entrepreneurs who are entering the space launch market and space tourism," said Peter Diamandis, founder and president of the X Prize Foundation. This month, Diamandis presented a $10...

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