Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rocket plane crashed during a powered test flight over California’s Mojave Desert on Friday, leaving one pilot dead and another seriously injured.
One of the spacecraft’s two pilots died in the crash, and the other crewman was injured and transported to a local hospital, according Stuart Witt, CEO of the Mojave Air and Space Port, where the flight originated.
Officials did not identify the people aboard SpaceShipTwo, but the pilots were employees of Scaled Composites, the company that built the rocket plane, according to Kevin Mickey, Scaled’s president.
“We are human, and it hurts,” Witt said. “Our hearts, thoughts, prayers are absolutely with the families and the victims.”
The anomaly apparently occurred after the space plane fired its rocket motor following a high-altitude drop from Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo mothership at 10:10 a.m. PDT (1:10 p.m. EDT; 1710 GMT).
Moments later, something went wrong and officials declared an emergency, Witt said.
“Our primary thoughts at this moment are with the crew and family, and we’re doing everything we can for them now,” said George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic.
Footage from television news helicopters in the area showed the desert floor littered with fragments of SpaceShipTwo.
Observers also reported spotting a parachute in the air.
“Space is hard, and today was a tough day,” Whitesides said. “We are going to support the investigation as we figure out what happened today, and we’re going to get through it. The future rests, in many ways, on hard days like this, but we believe we owe it to the folks who were flying these vehicles, as well as the folks who have been working so hard on them, to understand this and to move forward, which is what we’ll do.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said it is investigating the mishap. A team from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive in Mojave early Saturday to begin surveying the crash site.
“On behalf of the entire NASA family, I offer our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the pilot lost in today’s accident involving Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, and we are praying for a speedy recovery of the other pilot,” NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said in a statement. “While not a NASA mission, the pain of this tragedy will be felt by all the men and women who have devoted their lives to exploration. Space flight is incredibly difficult, and we commend the passion of all in the space community who take on risk to push the boundaries of human achievement.”
The suborbital spacecraft was making its first powered flight since January and was testing a redesigned rocket motor.
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