Mike Melvill

As one of the test pilots for histoic SpaceShipOne, Mike Melvill was an integral part of the first privately-funded human spaceflight.

Melvill has spent most of his flying career in east Kern County. Born in South Africa in 1941, he moved to the United States in the 1970s and in 1982 became part-owner and vice president/general manager of Mojave-based Scaled Composites, the innovative aerospace firm founded by noted designer Burt Rutan.. He also served as the company’s lead test pilot.

In June 2004, Melvill piloted Rutan's SpaceShipOne beyond the edge of space to become the world’s first commercial astronaut. That September he helmed the craft’s first competitive flight in the $10 million Ansari X Prize competition. After landing, Melvill was presented with the FAA Commercial Astronaut Badge --- the first awarded for a non-government space program.

The combined efforts of Melvill and fellow test pilot Brian Binnie helped SpaceShipOne capture the Ansari X Prize, a $10 million award given to the first team to achieve private spaceflight.