Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo was destroyed after a “fault” was discovered during a test flight over the Mojave Desert on Friday morning, California.
"SpaceShipTwo received a malfunction in flight. Additional information and a statement later," Virgin Galactic wrote on Twitter at 10:13. This announcement was made 6 minutes after the development company for space tourists announced the ignition of spacecraft engines.
The malfunction occurred after the spacecraft, which is designed to carry 6 passengers and two pilots in open space, was launched from its WhiteKnightTwo flying base under the control of the pilot.
In normal flight mode, the SpaceShipTwo, currently being developed by Scaled Composites, is capable of rising to an altitude of 45,000 feet. Unfortunately, during today's test flight, rocket engine malfunctions destroyed the ship, scattering debris in the Mojave Desert.
Virgin Galactic has already released a statement regarding the incident (via Twitter):
"A Scaled Composites partner conducted an #SpaceShipTwo active test flight earlier today. During the test, a serious malfunction led to the loss of SpaceShipTwo. WhiteKnightTwo landed safely. to determine the cause of this accident and provide updates as soon as possible. "
Virgin Galactic has signed a contract with 800 candidates for the first series of flights. Ticket cost about $ 250,000.
