Setback for space tourism as Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket crashes during test flight

Los Angeles: Virgin Galactic's first commercial spacecraft crashed on Friday during a test flight over California, scattering debris over the desert and leaving at least one pilot dead, officials said.

Television images showed the wreckage of SpaceShipTwo, a test vehicle that flies to the edge of space, amid brush in the desert east of Mojave, a few hours' drive northeast of Los Angeles.

The incident is second disaster involving a US spacecraft this week, after an unmanned Orbital Science rocket carrying supply to the International Space Station exploded after launch on Tuesday.

It is also a huge blow to British tycoon Richard Branson's long-held dream of offering the first commercial space flights.

The Virgin chief made no immediate comment on the accident. "During the test, the vehicle suffered a serious anomaly resulting in the loss of SpaceShipTwo. Our first concern is the status of the pilots," the firm said in a tweet.

Virgin Galactic said the fate of the pilots was unknown but the California Highway Patrol confirmed reports that one pilot had died another was serious injured, and taken to hospital.

"We will work closely with relevant authorities to determine the cause of this accident and provide updates as soon as we are able to do so," Virgin said.

Officials were due to give a press conference at 2pm (2100 GMT) to release more details of the accident, according to the KGET local TV station.

The spaceship had been carried aloft on a bigger aircraft known as WhiteKnightTwo and then released for a test of its rocket engine above the Mojave desert, in what was the 35th such flight.

"SpaceShipTwo has been released by WhiteKnightTwo, and is now flying freely," the firm wrote in a blow-by-blow account of the flight, adding: "Ignition! SpaceShipTwo is flying under rocket power again."

The next tweet announced the "anomaly", followed by the series confirming the crash. The company added that WhiteKnightTwo had landed safely after the accident.

With Agency Inputs