Can’t pass this one up. Burt Rutan has said repeatedly that once the X-Prize was funded, he would go after it. He developed the Proteus aircraft several years ago for a different purpose, but there have always been rumors that it might serve as the first stage for a suborbital vehicle. The rumors have finally been born out.

They made an announcement today. This will be a big boost in the credibility of others going after this market.