SpaceShipTwo

Investigators looking into what caused the crash of a Virgin Galactic prototype spacecraft that killed one of two test pilots said a 5-mile path of debris across the California desert indicates the aircraft broke up in flight.

Billionaire Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson vowed Saturday to find out what caused the crash of his prototype space tourism craft that killed one of two test pilots, adding that while he remains committed to civilian space travel “we are not going to push on blindly.”

The concept of space travel has proved an irresistible allure for many entrepreneurs who’ve made it in the tech world, and they have been spurred on by NASA’s increasing reliance on private companies to conduct space missions.

California authorities have identified the pilot killed during a test flight of Virgin Galactic’s prototype space tourism rocket over the Mojave Desert.

Fiery failures are no stranger to the space game. It’s what happens when you push the boundaries of what technology can do, where people can go. And it happened again to Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo.

Federal accident investigators arrived Saturday to begin a probe into the cause of an accident that destroyed a prototype space tourism rocket ship during a test flight, killing one pilot and injuring another.

Federal accident investigators are headed to a desert crash site where a winged spaceship designed to give wealthy tourists a high-altitude view of Earth broke up during a test flight, killing one pilot and badly injuring another.

Virgin Galactic’s flights to space aren’t only about the wealthy going for a pricey joyride. They could also boost scientific research in space. Here’s how...