Richard Branson has flown to Southern California to address Friday’s Virgin Galactic tragedy.
“We are determined to find out what went wrong and are working with the authorities to get that information,” Branson said Saturday at a press conference in Mojave, Calif. “Most importantly, our thoughts remain with the families of the brave Scaled [Composite] pilots and all those who have been affected by this tragedy.”
Read more Justin Bieber Plans Trip to Space With Virgin Galactic
The Branson-funded Virgin Galactic’s space tourism rocket SpaceShipTwo crashed into the Mojave Desert on Friday, leaving one pilot dead and one injured. The injured pilot was transferred to an area hospital with “moderate to major” injuries, the California Highway Patrol told The Hollywood Reporter.
Branson vowed to continue his company’s space project. “We’re going to learn from what went wrong, discover how we can improve safety and performance and then move forward together,” he said. “We owe it to our test pilots to find out what went wrong.”
Branson issued a statement on the Virgin website, saying that everyone involved with the project is “in shock at this devastating loss.”
“Space is hard — but worth it,” the statement continued. “We will persevere and move forward together.”
His public address can be seen below.
