The Ansari X Prize was a competition aimed at encouraging private space travel. Launched in 1996, it offered a $10 million prize to the first non-governmental team to build and fly a reusable spacecraft capable of carrying three people to an altitude of 100 kilometers, twice within two weeks. In 2004, the prize was won by Scaled Composites with their spacecraft, SpaceShipOne. This achievement marked a significant milestone in the commercial space industry, demonstrating that private entities could successfully develop and operate spacecraft, paving the way for future advancements in space exploration.