• Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson arrives at the company's air and space port in Mojave, California. Josh Edelson / AFP
    Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson arrives at the company's air and space port in Mojave, California. Josh Edelson / AFP
  • SpaceShipTwo at a hangar in Virgin Galactic’s air and space port in Mojave, California. Reed Saxon / AP Photo
    SpaceShipTwo at a hangar in Virgin Galactic’s air and space port in Mojave, California. Reed Saxon / AP Photo
  • SpaceShipTwo flies under its own rocket power in an earlier test flight. Mark Greenberg / AP Photo / Virgin Galactic
    SpaceShipTwo flies under its own rocket power in an earlier test flight. Mark Greenberg / AP Photo / Virgin Galactic
  • Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson saluted the bravery of test pilots and vowed to find out what caused the crash SpaceShipTwo. Brian Melley / AP Photo
    Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson saluted the bravery of test pilots and vowed to find out what caused the crash SpaceShipTwo. Brian Melley / AP Photo
  • Aviation transport safety officials survey the debris from SpaceShipTwo near the crash site. Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images / AFP
    Aviation transport safety officials survey the debris from SpaceShipTwo near the crash site. Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images / AFP
  • Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo explodes in the air during a test flight. Kenneth Brown / AP Photo
    Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo explodes in the air during a test flight. Kenneth Brown / AP Photo
  • A three-image combo shows the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo rocket separating from the carrier aircraft, left, prior to it exploding in the air, right, during a test flight. Kenneth Brown / AP Photo
    A three-image combo shows the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo rocket separating from the carrier aircraft, left, prior to it exploding in the air, right, during a test flight. Kenneth Brown / AP Photo
  • Wreckage lies near the site where SpaceShipTwo exploded and crashed in Mojave, California. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson said he was determined to help authorities find out what caused the crash but likened the incident to the early days of flight. Ringo HW Chiu / AP Photo
    Wreckage lies near the site where SpaceShipTwo exploded and crashed in Mojave, California. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson said he was determined to help authorities find out what caused the crash but likened the incident to the early days of flight. Ringo HW Chiu / AP Photo
  • Image from a video by KABC TV Los Angeles shows wreckage of what is believed to be SpaceShipTwo. KABC TV / AP Photo
    Image from a video by KABC TV Los Angeles shows wreckage of what is believed to be SpaceShipTwo. KABC TV / AP Photo
  • A National Transportation Safety Board team inspect a tail section from the crashed SpaceShipTwo. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson said safety remained his paramount concern. “We owe it to our test pilots to find out exactly what went wrong, and once we’ve found out what went wrong, if we can overcome it, we’ll make absolutely certain that the dream lives on.” Josh Edelson / AFP
    A National Transportation Safety Board team inspect a tail section from the crashed SpaceShipTwo. Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson said safety remained his paramount concern. “We owe it to our test pilots to find out exactly what went wrong, and once we’ve found out what went wrong, if we can overcome it, we’ll make absolutely certain that the dream lives on.” Josh Edelson / AFP
  • Debris from SpaceShipTwo lies in the Mojave desert in California. Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images / AFP
    Debris from SpaceShipTwo lies in the Mojave desert in California. Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images / AFP

Business

Space tourism dream lives on despite SpaceShipTwo crash — in pictures

Liz Claus

November 02, 2014

  • English
  • Arabic

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, designed to carry tourists at the edge of space, crashed Friday minutes after being released from a mother aircraft. Amid the setback, Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson vowed the space programme would continue for people who ‘one day love the chance to go to space’.

Technology