] The government announced Wednesday that it has issued the
] first license for a manned suborbital rocket, a step
] toward opening space flight to private individuals for
] the first time.
]
] The Federal Aviation Administration gave a one-year
] license to Scaled Composites of Mojave, Calif., headed by
] Burt Rutan. He is best known for designing the Voyager
] airplane that made the first nonstop, unrefueled flight
] around the world in 1986.
]
] "This is a big step," FAA spokesman Henry Price said.
]
] The Scaled Composites craft consists of a rocket plane,
] dubbed SpaceShipOne, and the White Knight, an exotic jet
] designed to carry it aloft for a high-altitude launch.
] SpaceShipOne, made of graphite and epoxy, has short wings
] and twin vertical tails. It reached 68,000 feet in a
] trial flight.

[ Very cool. One step closer to commercial spaceflight... -k]

Government licenses first privately built, manned rocket