MOJAVE, California – Richard Branson’s plans to run the first commercial space flight service have suffered a major setback after an explosion during a test of the rocket’s propulsion system left three workers dead and three seriously wounded with shrapnel injuries and burns.
The accident happened at the world’s first commercial spaceport at Mojave.
A rocket being tested for use on SpaceShipTwo – the prototype for Virgin Galactic’s eight-seater private rockets due to launch late next year – exploded without warning.
The inquiry into the incident is likely to cause delays in the project of several months.
The blast occurred at a private test site run by Scaled Composites, which was founded by high-profile aviation entrepreneur Burt Rutan.
Virgin Galactic has been signing up space travellers who will pay US$200,000 for one of six passenger seats on SpaceShipTwo.
The ship will climb 62 miles above the ground, giving the passengers views back over Earth and the experience of five minutes’ worth of weightlessness.
Dennis Tito, a US millionaire, becomes the first space tourist after paying US$20m to visit the International Space Station
