Galactic astronauts meeting on Branson's private island
Space pioneer Sir Richard Branson is meeting on his private Caribbean island with his would-be astronauts less than a week after his Virgin Galactic spaceship broke up above the Mojave Desert, killing the co-pilot and injuring the pilot.
SpaceShipTwo was destroyed in the Oct. 31 incident, which federal authorities continue to investigate. Another craft already is being built, and company officials say they hope to resume test flights next year. The crash killed Mike Alsbury and injured pilot Peter Siebold, who parachuted to safety.
Virgin is selling $250,000 tickets to space aboard its craft, and a vast majority of customers have reiterated their commitment to fly. Branson said in a statement Thursday that "a very few" of the company's about 700 customers have asked for their money back following the crash.
The company hopes to resume test flights next year in advance of starting commercial flights, the first of which will carry Branson aloft.
"We regularly hold gatherings of our future astronauts at my home on Necker Island, and this week happened to be when the latest of these was scheduled. The group decided they absolutely wanted to go ahead with the gathering, and arrived last night," Branson wrote. "We think of ourselves as one big family at Virgin, as well as within the space community. This is certainly true when it comes to Virgin Galactic's customers, who have got in touch in their hundreds to offer condolences, share kind words and offer support in any way possible."
Branson didn't say which of his customers were attending the gathering at his island home, which can sleep up to 30 adults and be rented out privately.
Among celebrities who have signed up to fly with Virgin Galactic are Ashton Kutcher, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, who is planning a performance from space during the 4 minutes of weightlessness each traveler will experience. Company officials Thursday declined to identify any customers.
While SpaceShipTwo was destroyed, the second SpaceShipTwo, serial No. 2, is structurally about 90% complete and overall about 65% complete, company officials said.
"With the guidance of the NTSB and the assurance of a safe path forward, we intend to move ahead with our testing program and have not lost sight of our mission to make space accessible for all," the company said. "We owe it to all of those who have risked and given so much to stay the course and deliver on the promise of creating the first commercial spaceline.
"While this has been a tragic setback, we are moving forward and will do so deliberately and with determination," officials said.
The second ship is being built inside the company's manufacturing facility in Mojave, Calif. Relatively simple things such as installing windows to the more complex fitting of flight controls and other wiring still need to be done, said George Whitesides, Virgin Galactic chief executive.
"That's provided some solace to all of us, and I think there's sort of a therapeutic benefit to folks to be able to put their energies into constructive work," Whitesides told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Wednesday.
He said the company will be able to continue flying its mother ship--the much larger jet-powered plane that launches the rocket ship at high altitudes--while federal investigators look into the cause of the deadly crash with the cooperation of the company.
It's possible that test flights for the next spaceship could begin within six months, before the investigation is expected to conclude, Whitesides said.
NTSB investigators say SpaceShipTwo broke up at high altitude, and are reviewing whether a flaw in the craft's unique descent system -- like a leaf on the wind, it drifts back into the Earth's atmosphere like a shuttlecock before reconfiguring into a glider -- may have caused the crash.
Contributing: The Associated Press