The X PRIZE Foundation sought to bring about a radical breakthrough in the advancement of human spaceflight, the aim being to open up the space frontier. Our long-term goal was to make space travel safe, affordable and accessible to everyone through the creation of a personal spaceflight industry. The Ansari family shared our vision and agreed to join the revolution by becoming the title sponsors of the first X PRIZE, jumpstarting 26 teams from 7 different nations to pursue their passions by competing for the prize. The Ansari X PRIZE was modeled after the Orteig Prize, won by Charles Lindbergh in 1927 for being the first to fly non-stop from New York to Paris, and mirrors the hundreds of aviation incentive prizes offered early in the 20th Century that helped create today's $300 billion commercial aviation industry.