Skip to main content

Richard Branson on his way to rocket crash scene

By WTOP Staff

MOJAVE, Calif. (AP) — British billionaire Richard Branson is headed to California’s Mojave Desert after a Virgin Galactic space tourism rocket exploded and crashed, killing one person and seriously injuring another.

A tweet from Branson’s Twitter account thanked people for their messages of support and said he was “flying to Mojave immediately to be with the team.”

Officials and witnesses say Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo exploded Friday after taking off on a test flight. No other details were immediately available.

Branson is the founder of Virgin Galactic. The company is planning to launch space tourism flights from the quarter-billion-dollar Spaceport America in southern New Mexico.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Emergency guide: What you should do to prepare for emergencies

By WTOP Staff
WASHINGTON — Do you know what you'd do if an emergency hits? What if you're at work, your spouse is stuck in traffic and your children are in school? There's no way to plan for every emergency, but you can make sure you're prepared for different scenarios, including making a plan for your family and building a kit of emergency supplies.
Read Next Story

Related News

Cards, gifts cross religious lines

Mind your mouth: How oral health affects overall health

5 questions to ask before buying a winter home