Virgin Galactic defends safety record after fatal crash
Preliminary investigation suggests that Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo broke up after an onboard system deployed prematurely

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Virgin Galactic has defended its safety record after its experimental spacecraft crashed on Friday, insisting that it takes great precautions to protect the security of its pilots, facilities and craft.
The company said that the principle of safety "has guided every decision we have made over the past decade, and any suggestion to the contrary is categorically untrue".
SpaceShipTwo crashed after an explosion occurred during a test flight above the Mojave desert in south eastern California on Friday, killing one of the pilots and seriously injuring another.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The cause of the crash is still unknown, but US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) head Christopher Hart said that a preliminary investigation revealed that a device designed to slow the craft’s descent had deployed prematurely "without being commanded".
According to the NTSB’s findings, the ship’s fuel tanks showed "no signs of being compromised", the BBC reports. The full investigation is expected to take months to complete.
Investigations into the cause of the crash will focus on ‘training issues’, whether there was pressure to continue testing and ‘safety culture,’ according to Hart. "We’ve got many, many issues to look into much more extensively before we can determine the cause," he said.
Sir Richard Branson had hoped that SpaceShipTwo would send commercial passengers to the edge of space by the end of next year at a cost of $250,000 (£156,000) each. The ship broke up at 45,000ft on Friday during a test flight. The pilot, Peter Siebold, 43, parachuted to the ground, but his co-pilot, Michael Alsbury, 39, was killed in the incident.
Investigators say that it could take up to a year to conclusively determine the cause of the crash, but said that early analysis indicated that SpaceShipTwo’s "feathering system" which lifts and rotates the tail to create drag had activated without human intervention.
In a statement, Virgin Galactic said it was "dedicated to opening the space frontier, while keeping safety as our 'North Star' ... Everything we do is to pursue the vision of accessible and democratised space – and to do it safely ... Now is not the time for speculation."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Will the US keep aiding Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Republicans give Volodymyr Zelenskyy a 'cold shoulder' in D.C.
By Joel Mathis Published
-
Is it time to end the China trade war?
Talking Point The U.S. aims to dial down China trade tensions after years of tit-for-tat tariffs and bans on advanced technology sales
By Harold Maass Published
-
Priced out
Cartoons
By The Week Staff Published
-
Woman reunited with egg she signed in 1951
It Wasn't All Bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
10 things you need to know today: September 16, 2023
Daily Briefing Ripple effects seen throughout auto industry as UAW strikes, Lee expected to bring flooding and storm winds to New England, and more
By Justin Klawans Published
-
American rescued after 12 days in Turkish cave
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
What Mexico’s first female president might mean for the ‘femicide nation’
feature The Latin American country is grappling with misogynist crime amid a backdrop of progress for women in politics
By Rebekah Evans Published
-
Ukrainian military has ‘shown how the Russian army can be beaten’
Talking Point Recent Ukrainian frontline advances may offer hope for its counter-offensive
By The Week Staff Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Protests in Syria: could they bring down the Assad regime?
Talking Point Threat to power grows amid poverty, inflation and ‘botched’ response to earthquake
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published