1. As a condition of entering and becoming a participant
in the X PRIZE Competition, entrants will be required to first agree to
be bound and abide by the rules, decisions and interpretations which will
be further promulgated by the X PRIZE Rules Committee and its designated
representatives. Entrants will also be required to agree to fully cooperate
with the X PRIZE Review Board in monitoring X PRIZE entrants and competition
requirements.
2. Flight vehicles will have to be privately financed
and built. Entrants will be precluded from using a launch vehicle substantially
developed under a government contract or grant. Entrants will be prohibited
from receiving any direct funding, subsidies, grants of money, goods, or
services from any government (or otherwise tax-supported entity). Entrants
will be permitted to utilize government facilities if access to such facilities
is generally available to all entrants. Any such goods or services used
in connection with the competition must be available to other entrants
on similar terms. Entrants will be permitted to utilize subsystems previously
developed by a government agency that are currently available on a commercial
or equal-access government-surplus basis, or for which manufacturing rights
and specifications are available on an equal-access basis.
3. The flight vehicle must be flown twice within
a 14-day period. Each flight must carry at least one person, to minimum
altitude of 100 km. The flight vehicle must be built with the capacity
(weight and volume) to carry a minimum of 3 adults of height 188 cm and
weight 90 kg each. Three people of this size or larger must be able to
enter, occupy, and be fastened into the flight vehicle on Earth's surface
prior to take-off, and equivalent ballast must be carried in-flight if
the number of persons on-board during flight is less than three persons.
4. The second flight must demonstrate economical
vehicle reusability. It is the X PRIZE Rules Committee's intent that the
winning flight vehicle should exhibit sufficiently low per-flight costs
such that the flight vehicle will support low-cost space access. Toward
this end, no more than 10% of the flight vehicle's first-flight non-propellant
mass may be replaced between the two flights.
5. The crew must return to the Earth's surface
from both flights in good health as reasonably defined and judged by the
X PRIZE Review Board.. The flight vehicle must return from both flights
substantially intact, as defined by and in the sole judgment of the X PRIZE
Review Board, such that the vehicle is reusable.
6. Entrants must specify and provide the X PRIZE
Rules Committee with their take-off and landing location, and the date
of their launch, not less than 30 days prior to any flight attempt.
7. The X PRIZE Competition is international in
nature and is open to all qualifying entrants who agree to be bound and
abide by the rules which shall be further promulgated by the X PRIZE Rules
Committee and administered by the X PRIZE Review Board.
8. In addition to signing any releases, rules,
and agreements that the X PRIZE Rules Committee may require, all entrants
for the X PRIZE will also be required to timely submit a letter of intent
to the Review Board which fully details their respective compliance with
the rules and regulations, the general nature and configuration of their
vehicle, and their intended flight plans. All releases, agreements, and
letters of intent will have to be received, accepted and acknowledged by
the X PRIZE Rules Committee during a time frame to be specified but, in
no event, later than three months prior to the respective entrant's first
flight attempt. The X PRIZE Review Board will be the final arbiter on whether
an entrant complies with the rules and regulations. It is the intent of
the X PRIZE Rules Committee that all communications and technical information
disclosed to the Review Board which reflects confidential information,
except as otherwise agreed, will be held in confidence. The X PRIZE Review
Board members, or a duly designated Review Board representative, must monitor,
all flight attempts, and any period of time in-between scheduled flights.
9. X PRIZE entrants will be required to comply
with, or obtain waivers, for any and all international, national, regional,
or local laws or regulations, of any kind, which pertain to or govern any
activities conducted by the entrants in connection with the competition
including, but not limited to, the manufacture, construction, testing or
launch of their respective flight vehicles.
10. Entrants will be required to carry an X PRIZE-provided
flight recorder to monitor the flight profile and altitude achieved.
11. All X PRIZE entrants shall be required to
prominently display the service marked/trademarked X PRIZE and the NEW
SPIRIT OF ST. LOUISSM logos (of size and color to be prescribed) on
their flight vehicles.
12. The general guidelines set forth herein, although
intended to provide a preliminary summary of the anticipated rules of the
X PRIZE Competition, are expressly subject to change. Furthermore, in order
for a person to qualify as an entrant, among other criteria yet to be set,
any such entrant must first sign any releases, rules, and agreements that
the X PRIZE Rules Committee may require. Current and updated copies of
any such releases, rules, and agreements may be obtained directly from
The X PRIZE Foundation, Inc., or its World Wide Web site: (http://www.xprize.org/aboutus/guidlelines.html).
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