Da Vinci Project
Canadian volunteer-staffed contender for the Ansari X Prize.
The da Vinci Project aimed to build a reusable, crewed sub-orbital spacecraft using private funding and volunteer labor. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, the effort was spearheaded by Brian Feeney. Its primary goal was to win the Ansari X Prize, which required the first non-governmental reusable crewed spacecraft. The project took its name from Leonardo da Vinci, the earliest known person to design an aircraft. It made its final public appearance at the 2005 X Prize Cup, where it showed a mock-up of its Wild Fire MK Vl spacecraft. The project is now defunct.
- Founded
- 1996
- Dissolved
- No longer operating (exact date not specified)
- Field
- Private spaceflight
- Nationality
- Canadian
- Known for
- Contender for the Ansari X Prize; design of a crewed rockoon air-launched from a helium balloon
Lore & Background
The da Vinci Project was established in 1996 as a privately funded, volunteer-staffed effort to build a reusable crewed sub-orbital spacecraft. Its design was a rocket-powered spacecraft to be air-launched from a helium balloon at an altitude of about 21 km (65,000 ft), a configuration described as a crewed rockoon. The project scope included design and construction of both the spacecraft and the launching balloon. The project was based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and led by Brian Feeney. It was named after Leonardo da Vinci, who was the first recorded person to design an aircraft. The project was staffed entirely by volunteers and followed a variety of business models including share ownership partners, technology partnerships, employee style volunteering, and technology/IP aggregation. Many expensive components were donated by businesses in exchange for recognition on the website homepage, which has since been removed.
Reader's Guide
The da Vinci Project is significant as one of the early private teams competing for the Ansari X Prize, a milestone in the commercialization of spaceflight. Although it did not win the prize—Scaled Composites succeeded on October 4, 2004—the project demonstrated the viability of volunteer-driven, low-cost space hardware development. Its design, a crewed rockoon using a hybrid propulsion system with nitrous oxide and paraffin fuel, and reliance on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components, reflected an innovative approach to reducing costs. The project also engaged in unique marketing partnerships, such as an agreement with GoldenPalace.com to carry a soccer ball kicked by David Beckham. A documentary filmed from 2000 through 2008 accumulated some 1000 hours of footage, though as of early 2009 it remained in preliminary editing. The project's legacy includes its contribution to the broader private spaceflight movement and its demonstration of alternative funding and volunteer models.
Did You Know?
- The da Vinci Project was named after Leonardo da Vinci, the first recorded person to design an aircraft.
- The spacecraft was designed to be air-launched from a helium balloon at about 21 km altitude, making it a crewed rockoon.
- The project used a hybrid propulsion system with nitrous oxide and a spin cast paraffin fuel engine in a re-loadable and expendable cardboard cartridge.
- A documentary filmed from 2000 through 2008 accumulated some 1000 hours of footage, but as of early 2009 was still in preliminary editing.
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