MOJAVE, Calif. - Federal investigators are sifting through the wreckage of a private Virgin Galactic spaceship a day after the craft exploded and broke apart midflight during the test of a new fuel, 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.
The federal investigation into the crash could take as long as 12 months National Transportation Safety Board acting head Christopher Heart said in a press conference Saturday night.
Although the on-site aspect of the investigation is only expected to last four to seven days, the process of sifting through the video footage, photographs, interviews, data analysis, engine inspection and other physical evidence gathered at the site, could take up to a year.
The debris field is about five miles long and the FBI will assist in the search of the site, Hart said.
The man behind the commercial space venture is anxious to hear what the NTSB learns from its investigation.
'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.
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 into 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.
Branson initially made his name as an entrepreneur who ignored traditional business models and processes, often taking a risk-first approach by being willing to make mistakes and then learn quickly from them. His companies range from airlines to record labels.
In a posting on the Virgin Galactic hiring site, managers said they recognized their efforts were 'both audacious and incredibly ambitious. We will make history by creating access to space for all people. We know that achieving our mission will require highly unusual levels of tenacity and dedication.'
Hughes reported from Denver
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