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Virgin chief Richard Branson vowed to push on towards the dream of space flight for the paying public after the fatal crash of one of his company's spacecrafts during a test flight in California.
A pilot died and another was seriously wounded when the pioneering craft for carrying tourists broke up over the Mojave desert on Friday, raising questions about the programme's future.

While Branson voiced shock at the accident involving Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, he said he still planned to give large numbers of paying civilians a suborbital ride that would let them experience weightlessness.
"We've always known the road to space is extremely difficult - and that every new transportation system has to deal with bad days early in their history," Branson said.
"Space is hard - but worth it. We will persevere and move forward together," he added.
After travelling to the desert, Branson saluted the pilots' bravery and said he was determined to find out the cause of the crash.
He did not discuss any details of it and deferred to the investigation by experts from the US National Transportation Safety Board just getting under way.
Television images showed the wreckage of SpaceShipTwo, a test vehicle that flies to the edge of space, scattered over the desert.
The crash area was about 193km north of downtown Los Angeles and 30km from the Mojave Air and Space Port, where the mid-morning flight originated.
The incident was the second disaster involving a US spacecraft last week, after an unmanned Orbital Sciences rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station exploded after launch on Tuesday.
It is also a huge blow to British tycoon Branson's long-held dream of offering the first passenger space flights, which have been snapped up by Leonardo DiCaprio and other celebrities.

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 desert, the latest in a series of tests.
Stuart Witt, head of the Mojave Air and Space Port, said WhiteKnightTwo took off at 9.20am, and released SpaceShipTwo at an altitude of 13,700 metres at 10.10am, after 50 minutes of flight. Two minutes later, Witt said, it became clear something had gone wrong, even though there was nothing obvious visually from the ground.
"If there was a huge explosion, I didn't see it," he said. "I detected nothing that appeared abnormal."

The flight - the 35th by SpaceShipTwo, according to Virgin Galactic's Twitter feed - involved the same configuration as previously, although the type of fuel was new, officials said.
More than 500 people have already reserved seats - and paid a deposit on the US$250,000 ticket price - for a minutes-long suborbital flight on SpaceShipTwo, which can carry six passengers.
Two Hongkongers - a woman and a man in their late 30s - have signed up to another space tourism firm, Amsterdam-based SpaceExpedition Corp (SXC).
SpaceShipTwo's first commercial flight - in which Branson and his family have vowed to travel - has often been delayed. But it was tentatively forecast for the first half of 2015.
Additional reporting by Associated Press


Pilot killed as Virgin Galactic spaceship crashes in desert during test flight

A piece of debris is seen near the scene of the crash of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo. Photo: Reuters

File photo of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShip Two in the Mojave Desert. Photo: Reuters

US authorities rushed to the crash site to examine the debris. Photo: EPA

Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo detaches from the jet aircraft that carried it aloft, and then explodes over the Mojave desert in California on Friday. Photos: Reuters

Virgin Galactic's passengers ready to boldly go despite SpaceShipTwo crash

Richard Branson with a model of SpaceShipTwo. Photo: AFP

A combination of photos show Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo detached from a jet airplane exploded over the skies of the Mojave Desert, California. Photo: Reuters

Sheriff's deputies look at a piece of debris near the crash site of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo near Cantil. Photo: Reuters

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Virgin chief Richard Branson vowed to push on towards the dream of space flight for the paying public after the fatal crash of one of his company's spacecrafts during a test flight in California.
