24 March 2026
Kitplane builder, test pilot and astronaut Mike Melvill has died at the age of 85.
Scaled Composites, the legendary aerospace company established by Burt Rutan, issued this statement:
“Scaled is incredibly sad to hear of the passing of our good friend Mike Melvill, who passed away early Friday morning at 85 years old.
“Best known for his 2004 SpaceShipOne flight up past the Karman Line to become the first commercial astronaut, Melvill had a storied time in Mojave and flight test.
“Growing up in South Africa, Melvill became a machinist at 17 and married his childhood sweetheart Sally. In the late 1960s, they emigrated to the United States and settled in Indiana to become citizens in 1972, with Melvill traveling to repair industrial machines for a livelihood.
“At Oshkosh AirVenture in 1974, Melvill purchased a set of VariViggen plans from the backseat of Burt’s airplane and was the first customer to complete their build.
Mike Melvill
“On a whim in 1978, Mike and Sally Melvill stopped by Mojave during a West Coast trip in their VariViggen to show Burt the plane – and Melvill was offered a job at Rutan Aircraft Factory on the spot. He would go on to conduct flight test for many of the early Rutan designs, including the Long EZ, Starship, and Grizzly.
“As 1982 rolled around, Melvill was one of the first Scaled employees, and Burt’s lead test pilot. During his time in Mojave, he was the pilot for 10 first flights of Rutan Aircraft Factory and Scaled Composites aircraft. He is the only pilot other than Dick Rutan or Jeana Yeager to fly Voyager.
“Melvill built the first Long EZ from plans, which he later took on a journey around the world with Dick Rutan in 1997 for the Spirit of EAA Friendship World Tour – ‘around the world in 80 nights’.
“1998 brought the development and first flight of Proteus, where the high-altitude developmental flight test campaign won Melvill the Society of Experimental Test Pilots’ Ivan C Kincheloe Trophy. In 2000, he would take Proteus up with Bob Waldmiller to set three new altitude records for the aircraft’s weight class.
Rest in peace. I was there the day he became commercial astronaut #1. https://t.co/ANfh48dVnw
— Abhi Tripathi (@SpaceAbhi) March 21, 2026
“Development and flight test of SpaceShipOne followed soon after, with Melvill piloting SpaceShipOne for flight 03G, the first glide after being released White Knight.
“During SpaceShipOne’s flight 15P – the first of three spaceflights the vehicle would make – Melvill earned the first FAA Commercial Space Astronaut Wings. That morning, Mike picked up M&M’s on the way into work and released them inside the cockpit to demonstrate microgravity.
“During the first of two X-Prize qualifying flights, Melvill took SpaceShipOne up for a second flight into space. The SpaceShipOne team were awarded the Ivan C Kincheloe trophy, his second recognition for the honor.
“Melvill retired from Scaled Composites in 2007. We at Scaled are fortunate to have had the opportunity to know him. Our condolences go to the Melvill family.”
