Armadillo Aerospace was an aerospace startup company with the initial goal to build a manned suborbital spacecraft capable of space tourism, and stated long-term ambitions of orbital spaceflight. In October 2008, Armadillo won $350,000 by succeeding in the Level 1 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. In September 2009, Armadillo won $500,000 in Level 2 of same challenge. In 2010, an exclusive deal was signed with Space Adventures with Armadillo Aerospace to provide a sub-orbital rocket to fly tourists into space, with Space Adventures selling tickets for the experience. Following a crash in early 2013, In August of that year, it was announced that Armadillo Aerospace had been put in "hibernation mode", In May 2014, former employees of Armadillo Aerospace formed a new company operating out of former Armadillo facilities, Exos Aerospace to continue research into reusable commercial space craft. Exos completed acquisition of Armadillo assets in early 2015, and intends to begin launches of the Suborbital Active Rocket with Guidance (SARGE) in 2016 from Spaceport America in New Mexico. SARGE will be an enhanced Armadillo STIG-B.[9]
