A “serious anomaly”; has resulted in the crash of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip Two. The incident has reportedly left one pilot dead and the other suffering serious injuries.
Virgin Galactic has sent out a series of tweets commenting on the incident, which occurred during a test flight.
#SpaceShipTwo has experienced an in-flight anomaly. Additional info and statement forthcoming.
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) October 31, 2014
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UPDATE:Virgin Galactic’s partner Scaled Composites conducted a powered test flight of #SpaceShipTwo earlier today. (1 of 4) — Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) October 31, 2014
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During the test, the vehicle suffered a serious anomaly resulting in the loss of SpaceShipTwo. WK2 landed safely. (2 of 4)
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) October 31, 2014
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Our first concern is the status of the pilots, which is unknown at this time. (3 of 4) — Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) October 31, 2014
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We will work closely with relevant authorities to determine the cause of this accident and provide updates ASAP. (4 of 4)
— Virgin Galactic (@virgingalactic) October 31, 2014
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAn image of the crash was posted by the BBC via Twitter.
First photo: @virgingalactic“s #SpaceShipTwo crashes http://t.co/k5JynVMGQ9 pic.twitter.com/NcIr01NXcv — BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) October 31, 2014
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Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson commented on the tragedy this afternoon.
Thoughts with all @virgingalactic & Scaled, thanks for all your messages of support. I’m flying to Mojave immediately to be with the team.
— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) October 31, 2014
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Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShip project has received a lot of press thanks to reports that celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ashton Kutcher have paid six-figure sums for the opportunity to use the service.
The crash of SpaceShip Two has raised serious questions about the status of the ordered NBC reality series Space Race. The Mark Burnett-helmed program would focus on contestants competing to earn a spot on a Virgin Galactic flight. According to Variety, NBC has not yet commented on the status of the series.