A Virgin Galactic space craft has crashed in the Mojave desert in California during a test flight.
The SpaceShipTwo aircraft had two pilots onboard, one has died and the other is seriously injured, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The Virgin Galactic project aims to fly space tourists up to an altitude of 328,000 feet (62 miles), to experience space travel.
The SpaceShipTwo craft ‘piggybacks’ on a carrier aircraft before disconnecting and travelling by rocket power to peak altitude. During this test, the carrier craft was reported to have landed safely. The rocket ship is thought to have malfunctioned shortly after disconnecting from the “White Knight 2” carrier plane.
Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic CEO and part-owner of the Virgin Galactic company, tweeted: Thoughts with all @virgingalactic & Scaled, thanks for all your messages of support. I'm flying to Mojave immediately to be with the team.
The Virgin Galactic project has attracted several celebrity space tourists paying up to $250,000 to fly on inaugural trips.