Giving Tuesday: The Celestis Foundation

[caption id="attachment_2045" align="alignleft" width="300"] The Celestis Foundation was one of the earliest supporters of the XPRIZE[/caption] On this Giving Tuesday, we spotlight the XPRIZE - the global leader in designing and implementing innovative competition models to solve the world’s grandest challenges. The Celestis Foundation was one of the earliest donors to the XPRIZE -- well before $10 million was raised to award the winner of the Ansari XPRIZE. The XPRIZE, later titled the Ansari XPRIZE for suborbital spaceflight, motivated 26 teams from seven nations to invest more than $100 million in pursuit of the $10 million purse. On October 4, 2004, the Ansari XPRIZE was awarded to Mojave Aerospace Ventures for its successful flights of SpaceShipOne, marking the dawn of the personal spaceflight revolution and signifying a radical breakthrough in prize philanthropy. [caption id="attachment_1461" align="aligncenter" width="516"] Slung below its equally innovative mothership dubbed White Knight, SpaceShipOne rides above planet Earth, photographed during a flight test.  Photo Credit: Scaled Composites[/caption] The original XPRIZE was announced in 1996, offering a $10 million prize to the first privately financed team that could build and fly a three‐passenger vehicle 100 kilometers into space twice within two weeks. In 1997 Celestis hosted a Texas XPRIZE event at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas. Our event featured a presentation by Erik Lindbergh (grandson of Charles Lindbergh). Celestis CEO Charles Chafer served on the XPRIZE's earliest Advisory Board. [caption id="attachment_2051" align="aligncenter" width="560"] Catherine and David Hannah, Jr., founder of Space Services Inc. of America, with Erik Lindbergh (right) at the 1997 Texas XPRIZE event at the Lone Star Flight Museum.[/caption] The Celestis Foundation shares your dedication to promoting innovative projects that improve life on Earth and stimulate our ongoing exploration of the universe. When you select a Celestis Memorial Spaceflight for a loved one or yourself, you are also making a real contribution to a positive, sustainable human future. A portion of the proceeds from each Memorial Spaceflight mission is donated to individuals, institutions, and organizations -- such as XPRIZE -- that embody the spirit and commitment of mission participants. [caption id="attachment_2053" align="aligncenter" width="560"] XPRIZE Founder and Executive Chairman Peter H. Diamonds, M.D. (center) at the 1997 Texas XPRIZE event at the Lone Star Flight Museum.[/caption] The Celestis Foundation ensures a continuing source of support for the people and projects that will accelerate the opening of the space frontier and the preservation of Earth. Learn more about the Celestis Foundation.

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