Jim Benson, SpaceDev, Entrepreneur

SpaceDev Founder Jim Benson Dies

Bruce V. Bigelow 10/10/08

Jim Benson, an impatient visionary and aerospace entrepreneur, died today of a brain tumor, according to a statement issued by SpaceDev, the San Diego-based company he founded.

SpaceDev developed the hybrid rocket engine used to power SpaceShipOne, the Burt Rutan-designed spacecraft, in its historic 2004 suborbital flight, which won the $10 million Ansari X-Prize. Benson, who was 63, resigned from an operational role at SpaceDev two years ago, but retained a seat on the board.