the remaining prize money for level 1 is for 2nd place, so as to continue to motivate teams who have got this far and increase the diversity of teams and companies capable of these feats.

bring on another year of testing and development, and 2009

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

Good stuff - these guys are obviously not in it for the money- the prize money pales in comparison to the man-hours and funding put into it.

For those truly interested in this, there is insight into armadillo to be gained in their latest update here:
http://www.armadilloaerospace.com/n.x/Armadillo/Home/News?news_id=362

Oh, and as it's long and incase some of you dont read to the end:
-----
Manned Suborbital Vehicle Development


http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=26813



I thought that making a public announcement with the governor of New Mexico at the Lunar Lander Challenge about a new venture between Rocket Racing Inc, Armadillo, and the state of New Mexico while we were flying an experimental flight was a bad idea – too many things could go embarrassingly wrong. However, it turned out perfect, with the governor watching as we made the winning flight.


All the terms aren’t final, but this is a big deal. We’re going to space, sooner rather than later. Some of you can come, too.