Michael Winston Melvill
Michael Winston Melvill was a South African-born American test pilot and one of the defining figures of early private human spaceflight. He piloted SpaceShipOne on the first privately funded crewed flight to cross the United States space boundary.
- Born
- November 30, 1940
- Died
- March 19, 2026
- Birthplace
- Johannesburg,South Africa
Flights
2
Spacewalks
N/A
EVA time
N/A
In space
About 7 minutes
Bio
Melvill became closely associated with Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites through decades of experimental aviation. Before SpaceShipOne, he flew and tested unusual aircraft, including Rutan designs, and helped prove the kind of small-team experimental culture that later produced the Ansari X Prize winner.
On June 21, 2004, Melvill flew SpaceShipOne flight 15P above 100 kilometers, becoming the first FAA-recognized commercial astronaut and the first person to reach space aboard a privately funded crewed vehicle. He then flew SpaceShipOne flight 16P on September 29, 2004, the first competitive Ansari X Prize flight.
Melvill died on March 19, 2026, at age 85. His record is two short suborbital SpaceShipOne flights, not orbital missions, but his role in opening private human spaceflight is substantial.