Virgin Galactic might resume testing next summer

George Whitesides, CEO of space tourism company Virgin Galactic, said that the company could resume its spaceship testing in 2015.

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo crashed last week when it broke into pieces during a test flight. The company is now creating a new craft, the SpaceShipTwo Serial No. 2, to replace the one that was lost. Test flights for the new spaceship could begin within the next six months.

Whitesides told The Associated Press that working on the new ship has "provided some solace" to the company's members. "I think there's sort of a therapeutic benefit to folks to be able to put their energies into constructive work," he told AP. "There was no question it was a tragic setback, but it's one from which we can recover."

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The FAA is investigating the cause of the SpaceShipTwo crash and has said that it will "conduct a more extensive review" of the cause before Virgin Galactic resumes test flights, AP reports.