'We fell short' Emotional Richard Branson vows space mission WILL go on despite crash

RICHARD Branson has vowed to continue his mission to bring space tourism to the masses despite the fatal Virgin Galactic crash.

By Aaron Brown , Express Affiliate Development Editor with 10 years of experience writing about the latest developments in consumer technology, product reviews, and buying advice

VirginREUTERS/SKY

Richard Branson speaking after tragic crash kills co-pilot

Last night one pilot was killed and another injured after the Spaceship Two exploded 45,000ft in the air and crashed during a test flight.

Investigators are currently examining the crash site in California's Mojave Desert.

Speaking today, Mr Branson, founder of the Virgin Group and promoter of space travel, said that the Virgin Galactic space programme will continue.

He said: "We would love to finish what we started some years ago and I think pretty well all our astronauts would love us to finish and would love to go into space.

"I think millions of people in the world would one day love the chance to go to space and this is the start of a long programme."

He added: "We owe it to our test pilots to find out exactly what went wrong and once we have found out what went wrong, if we can overcome it, we will make absolutely certain the dream lives on."

He continued: "I think that they (astronauts) have been patient to date, I think most of them will be patient longer.

"We may lose one or two but it does not look like it.

"Anybody whoever wants a refund would be able to get a refund. We haven't used the money."

A spokeswoman for Kern County Sheriff’s Department confirmed that the pilot who died was Michael Alsbury, who was employed by Scaled Composites.

 He leaves a widow, Michelle, and two children. Michelle said in a US interview: “I have lost the love of my life. I am living in hell right now.”

Yesterday Mr Branson said he was "shocked and saddened" at the fatal disaster but that he would "persevere."

In a blog post, Mr Branson said everyone involved in the project was "deeply saddened".

"All our thoughts are with the families of everyone affected by this tragic event," he wrote.

He said that he was flying to California, describing it as "one of the most difficult trips I have ever had to make".

"Space is hard - but worth it. We will persevere and move forward together," he added.

Sir Richard said Virgin Galactic would cooperate fully with authorities in the investigation

This morning new images came to the fore of the moment the experimental Galactic spaceship exploded mid-air with one the pilot managing to eject – suffering "moderate to major injuries".

The aircraft's co-pilot was killed in the crash while the pilot – who was found injured at the scene – has been rushed to a local hospital, Kern County Sheriff's spokesman Ray Pruitt confirmed.

As soon as the news broke, Sir Branson announced on Twitter that he is flying to Mojave to support the Virgin Galactic team.

Virgin Galactic space ship explodesREUTERS

This is the shocking moment the spaceship exploded

A body is quickly stretchered to a nearby helicopter outside the Mojave Air and Space Port in CaliforniaAP

A body is quickly stretchered to a nearby helicopter outside the Mojave Air and Space Port

Photographer Ken Brown has reported that Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo exploded after its initial ignition – showering the desert with debris.

Although the cause of the crash remains unknown, Virgin Galactic have confirmed that six minutes into the flight the spaceship began to experience "an in-flight anomaly".

The company tweeted: "During the test, the vehicle suffered a serious anomaly resulting in the loss of SpaceShipTwo".

SpaceShip Two eventually aims to take tourists to the edge of space. The starting price for flights on Virgin Atlantic is £150,000, with around 800 people, including many celebrities and stars signing up for the chance to go into space.

Part of the Virgin Galactic spaceship lies on the groundSKY NEWS

Part of the Virgin Galactic spaceship lies on the ground

One Dead As Virgin Galactic Spaceship Crashes - Sky News HD

A chunk of debris rests on the ground in California SKY

A chunk of debris from the experimental aircraft rests on the ground in California

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo under its own rocket power, over California for the first time last yearPH

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo under its own rocket power, over California last year

Speaking to Sky News, a Virgin Galactic spokesperson said: "Virgin Galactic's partner Scaled Composites conducted a powered test flight of SpaceShipTwo earlier today. 

"During the test, the vehicle suffered a serious anomaly resulting in the loss of the vehicle. 

"The WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft landed safely. Our first concern is the status of the pilots, which is unknown at this time. 

"We will work closely with relevant authorities to determine the cause of this accident and provide updates as soon as we are able to do so."

The spaceship is based on a prototype, dubbed SpaceShipOne, which 10 years ago won the $10 million Ansari X Prize to become the first privately developed manned spacecraft to fly in space.

Black Hawk helicopters were quickly dispatched to the crash site to search for the pilots.

Virgin Galactic's Third Powered Flight

at least one person is dead and another injured after Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwoSKY NEWS

at least one person is dead and another injured after Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo

We will work closely with relevant authorities to determine the cause of this accident and provide updates as soon as we are able to do so

Virgin Galactic spokesperson

Photographer Ken Brown, who was covering the test flight, told NBC News that he saw a midflight explosion and later came upon SpaceShipTwo debris scattered across a small area of the desert.

A crumpled parachute was also found at the scene. 

More than 800 people have paid or put down deposits to fly aboard the spaceship, which is carried to an altitude of about 45,000 feet and released. 

A host of celebrities have already bought seats aboard the suborbital passenger spaceship including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Tom Hanks, Katy Perry, Stephen Hawking, Russell Brand, Leonardo DiCaprio and Justin Bieber. 

Tickets for the 15-minute flight cost $250,000 (£156,200).

The spaceship then fires its rocket motor to catapult it to about 62 miles high, giving passengers a view of the planet set against the blackness of space and a few minutes of weightlessness.

The spaceship is based on a prototype, called SpaceShipOne, which 10 years ago won the $10 million Ansari X Prize for the first privately developed manned spacecraft to fly in space.

Richard Branson is pictured in front of the Virgin Galactic SpaceShip TwoGETTY

Richard Branson is pictured in front of the Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two

Friday's test was to be the spaceship's first powered test flight since January. 

In May, Virgin Galactic and spaceship developer Scaled Composites, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corp, switched to an alternative plastic-type of fuel grain for the hybrid rocket motor.

Virgin Galactic – owned by British multi-billionaire Richard Branson – has been the front-runner in the race to a success space-tourism industry.

Once it leaves development, the spaceship is planned to launch space tourism flights from the quarter-billion-dollar Spaceport America, found in southern New Mexico.

The accident is the second this week by a U.S. space company. 

On Tuesday, an Orbital Sciences Antares rocket exploded 15 seconds after liftoff from Wallops Island, Virginia, destroying a cargo ship bound for the International Space Station.

Flights on Virgin’s spacecraft have been pre-booked by around 800 people despite a starting price of £150,000.

Sir Richard Branson and his family have said they will be on its debut passenger flight. Many of those keen to travel to the edge of space are celebrities.

RICHARD BRANSON: THE DISASTERS

The crash of the Galactic spaceship is the latest in a series of personal disasters for Sir Richard Branson.

In 1985, Sir Richard set out from New York to beat the record for crossing the Atlantic by boat, but just 100 miles from home his vessel, Virgin Atlantic Challenger, hit floating driftwood and sank.

Sir Richard and his crew had to be rescued from the sea but the escapade helped make him into a household name.

In 1997, Sir Richard set out to be the first person to cross the Atlantic by hot air balloon. But the trip nearly ended in disaster, as Sir Richard and his pilot Per Lindstrand had to be rescued from the water.

Sir Richard’s Virgin Trains also came close to disaster in 2007. One of its Pendolino tilting trains jumped over a set of points in Cumbria, on a remote part of the West Coast Mail Line. An elderly woman travelling to her home in Cardonald, was thrown around in the coach as the train careered down an embankment.

In 2011 a fire ripped through his home on his private Caribbean island of Necker, in a suspected lighting strike in 2011. Kate Winslet reportedly had to help carry Sir Richards’s 90-year-old mother, Eve, to safety when flames ripped through his house on Necker Island.

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