Virgin Galactic will build second spaceship despite fatal crash
Virgin Galactic LLC will press ahead with building the second SpaceShipTwo, despite a still ongoing National Transportation Safety Board probe into Friday’s fatal crash.
"We are continuing to build the second SpaceShipTwo," Virgin said on Twitter.
"With the guidance of the NTSB and the assurance of a safe path forward, we intend to move ahead with our testing program," the company added.
"While this has been a tragic setback, we are moving forward and will do so deliberately and with determination."
NTSB officials said a co-pilot command that unlocked the aerodynamic tail surfaces too early was likely at least partly responsible for the crash.
This action happened just moments before SpaceShipTwo "disintegrated," the NTSB said.
It may take up to a year for the NTSB to fully complete the investigation.
Work on the second craft is already 65% complete and may be finished by the end of the year, said George Whitesides, chief executive of Virgin Galactic.
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