MOJAVE, Calif — Federal investigators are sifting through the wreckage of a private Virgin Galactic spaceship a day after the craft exploded and broke apart mid-flight, killing one pilot and seriously injuring the other.
The two pilots were the sole occupants of the SpaceShipTwo, which was in the testing phases to bring commercial spaceflight to tourists. The craft was carried aloft by an airplane on Friday and then dropped as part of a test flight.
"We are determined to find out what went wrong," said Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson — the British billionaire and adventurer who has become the public face of the space venture — at a Saturday press conference.
In a statement posted on his website, Branson added: "In testing the boundaries of human capabilities and technologies, we are standing on the shoulders of giants. Yesterday, we fell short."
Witnesses said it appears the pilots had just ignited the rocket motor around 10 a.m. Pacific time Friday when their craft exploded. One pilot parachuted to safety but was seriously injured, authorities said. The other pilot was killed and his body recovered from the wreckage in the Mojave Desert near the Mojave Air & Space Port. Neither Virgin nor investigators have released details on the pilots.
Branson said he'd wait to hear from the NTSB before offering details on the crash. He slammed what he called "slightly irresponsible" speculation from people who have no access to the facts, but the usually flamboyant adventurer sounded decidedly hesitant about the future of the project.
Asked twice about the future of Virgin Galactic's plans to send people in the space for a fee of up to $250,000, Branson took a long pause before answering.
"It's fair to say all 400 engineers who work here and most people in the world would love to see the dream living on," he said. "We owe it to our pilots."
"We hope that one day the test pilots will enable people to go to space safely," Branson added. "We would love to finish what we started some years ago ... this is the start of a long program."
Branson left the press conference to speak with about 400 members of the Virgin Galactic team, along with employees of Scaled Composites, the company that designed and built the spaceship and was conducting the test.
In a typical NTSB investigation, staff members collect pieces of the craft and reassemble them in a hangar. The engines will be inspected for any failures, and data collected during the flight will also be analyzed.
SpaceShipTwo was 60 feet long and made largely of composite materials, which are lighter than steel.
Virgin Galactic has collected more than $70 million in deposits from more than 580 would-be astronauts, and Branson said those who want refunds would be able to get them. But he said the vast majority of space tourists were intent on taking their flights, and he said a new customer paid the required deposit after the Friday crash as a show of support.
Branson initially made his name as an entrepreneur who ignored traditional business models and processes, often taking a risk-first approach by willing to make mistakes and then learn quickly from him. His companies range from airlines to record labels.
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