News Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo accident during powered test flight

[Cosmic Penguin]

Oh My Goodness! :blink:

Virgin Galactic @virgingalactic
#SpaceShipTwo has experienced an in-flight anomaly. Additional info and statement forthcoming.

Unconfirmed reports are out that SS2 has disintegrated in mid-air and the pilots are on chute......

 

[Donamy]

Bad week for space stuff.

 

[Frilock]

Hearing a report that one pilot is dead, another is seriously injured.

 

[statickid]

Its never good when your space ship disintegrates, but especially if you are sitting in it!

 

[Frilock]

Image of Debris.

 

[garyw]

Unconfirmed reports are out that SS2 has disintegrated in mid-air and the pilots are on chute......

Confirmed by Virgin Galactic on Twitter than SS2 is lost.

No word on the pilots yet.

 

[SanderBuruma]

if they got out on chutes there is good chance that they are ok I think.

 

[garyw]

if they got out on chutes there is good chance that they are ok I think.

One dead, one seriously injured. http://www.kerngoldenempire.com/new...-mojave-test-fli/11401/64VdLqg21EWpK1vuptvTsg

 

[boogabooga]

AP reporting at least one fatality. Witnesses reported an explosion during rocket ignition.



Perhaps too soon for this, but I'm thinking that this is the end of suborbital space tourism, for this generation at least. The already delayed project is now going to be pushed back tremendously. I can't see the rich and famous shelling out $250,000 for this anymore anyway, with a fear of death now at the back of their minds. This isn't like flying commercial.

 

[Kyle]

"Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth of sun-split clouds -
and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of -
wheeled and soared and swung high in the sunlit silence.
Hovering there I've chased the shouting wind along
and flung my eager craft through footless halls of air.

"Up, up the long delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace,
where never lark, or even eagle, flew;
and, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
the high untrespassed sanctity of space,
put out my hand and touched the face of God."

Utterly depressing news. This is the worst week in spaceflight we've seen for a long time.

 

[GLS]

this twitter user was "following" the flight https://twitter.com/spacecom

Takeoff at 919 am

Back in Mojave now. Ss2 had trouble with engine burn, blew up, came down in pieces near Koehn Lake.

Saw on of crash sites. Body still in seat.

 

[boogabooga]

Wasn't DreamChaser supposed to use the same engine?

 

[MaverickSawyer]

0 for 2 this week on non-ULA launches in the U.S.

 

[RisingFury]

I hope the other pilot survives. My condolences to the family, friends and Virgin Galactic over this terrible accident.

 

[Pablo49]

Someone texted me this happened and I totally didn't believe it initially. Very unfortunate.

 

[Kyle]

Wasn't DreamChaser supposed to use the same engine?

Apparently not in a statement from SNC.

 

[Astro SG Wise]

First Antares, now this? Sad. Was this Spaceship 2's first flight?

 

[garyw]

No. Spaceship 2 had had several previous flights. This was the first flight with either a new engine or a new fuel mixture. I am not sure which.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

No. Spaceship 2 had had several previous flights. This was the first flight with either a new engine or a new fuel mixture. I am not sure which.

Sounds like it was the first powered flight with a new fuel mixture. The old one was showing instability after ~20 seconds.

 

[ISProgram]

First Antares, now this? Sad. Was this Spaceship 2's first flight?

This has not been a good week for private spaceflight.

I never would've expected to EVER see Antares fail, let alone SpaceShipTwo...