*The following is archival content from 2003, hosted on the original X PRIZE website, to maintain authenticity.

Propulsion: Hybrid Rocket Powered Ship Name: Gauchito (The Little Cowboy) Team Leader: Pablo De Leon Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina Launch: Vertical Landing: Parachute Team Overview

Quote from Pablo de Leon

"I believe the X PRIZE is the most important and original idea to make space available for everyone in the near future. We in Argentina have been considering the idea of making a manned suborbital flight since 1984. Now the X PRIZE gives as an extra incentive, not only because of the cash prize, but because the world attention will be there, an attention which will also nurture the space tourism business."

Flight Sequence

The flight will start with the lift-off of the rocket, a clustered unit made up of 4 hybrid engines. Producing a maximum acceleration of 3.5 G's, the engines will burn until the vehicle has reached an altitude of 34km where the engines will stop. Then the vehicle will coast to 120km. After about 5 minutes of weightlessness, the pilot will orient the thermal shield for descent into the atmosphere.