World's Largest Air & Space Flight Demonstration

The X PRIZE Foundation and Holloman Air Force Base (HAFB) announced a partnership intended to create the world's largest "Air & Space Flight Demonstration." This year's expanded Wirefly X PRIZE Cup activities are expected to result in an 8-fold increase in competing teams and crowds.

Last year, the Wirefly X PRIZE Cup attracted one actual vehicle competing for the $2M Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge (NG-LLC) and an estimated crowd of 15,000. This year's expanded plans are expected to attract up to 8 viable competing spaceships for the NG-LLC, and crowds exceeding 100,000, including a group of more than 10,000 schoolchildren.

"This partnership reinforces the upward trajectory of this world-class event by combining the best advanced air show (F-16, F-22 and F-117) by Holloman AFB with the leading edge of space exploration rocketry and hardware," said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation. "The dramatic increase in Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge competitors ensures a fierce competition for the $2 million purse in what is essentially a 'battle of the entrepreneurs.'"

"This joint venture between the Air Force, the X PRIZE Foundation and the State of New Mexico offers a unique opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of manned space flight and the 60th anniversary of our Air Force at the nation's first ever 'live fly' Air and Space Expo," said Brigadier General David L. Goldfein.

The flights and ground events will be held in Las Cruces, N.M. and HAFB in Alamagordo from October 24 - 28th, 2007.

Tagged: Wirefly, Wirefly X Prize Cup, X Prize, Lunar Lander Challenge