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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/aero-x-prize-altitude

How high did an Ansari X-Prize flight need to go?

100 kilometers, about 62 miles above Earth.

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  1. 10 kilometers
  2. 50 kilometers
  3. 100 kilometers ✔

Why: The competition required a privately developed craft to reach the widely used 100-kilometer space boundary and return safely.

Huh, didn't know that: The prize offered ten million dollars to the winning team.

The dad joke
The X-Prize aimed high because low goals were not in its orbit.
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References

Answer: 100 kilometers. The competition required a privately developed craft to reach the widely used 100-kilometer space boundary and return safely.

  1. Aerospace Dimensions Module 4, Rockets akwg.cap.gov/media/cms/Module_4__Rockets_6660F78F20B68_4ad77.pdf
    fly to an altitude of 100 km or 62 miles above the surface of the Earth
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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