Richard Branson says Virgin Galactic team 'in shock' after crash

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Kern County Sheriff officers keep watch as an investigator looks over the wreckage site of the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo in Mojave. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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This three-image combo photo shows the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo rocket separating from the carrier aircraft, left, prior to it exploding in the air, right, during a test flight on Friday. (Kenneth Brown / Associated Press)

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National Transportation Safety Board investigators talk to Virgin Galactic pilot Todd Ericson, center, near wreckage of the SpaceShipTwo. ( AFP/Getty Images)

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Virgin Galactic’s founder Richard Branson heads back into a hangar after expressing condolences to the families of the pilots during a news conference at the Mojave Air and Space Port. The pilot was killed and a co-pilot was injured in the crash of SpaceShipTwo.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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James Stokes, owner of Stoken Donuts, carries bread into the shop for the lunch rush in Mojave. Many test pilots, including the pilot killed in Friday’s crash of the Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo frequent the shop. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson, left, and Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides, head back into an airport hangar after Branson addressed the media at the Mojave Air and Space Port on Saturday. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) arrive before dawn Saturday at the Mojave Air and Space Port.

(Josh Edelson / AFP / Getty Images)

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The Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo rocket separates from the carrier aircraft, WhiteKnightTwo, prior to exploding. (Kenneth Brown / Associated Press)

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The Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo rocket explodes in the air during a test flight. (Kenneth Brown / Associated Press)

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The Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo rocket explodes in the air during a test flight. (Kenneth Brown / Associated Press)

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Investigators gather at the site where Virgin Glactic’s SpaceShipTwo crashed. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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Investigators gather at the site where Virgin Glactic’s SpaceShipTwo crashed while on a test flight. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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A Kern County Sheriff’s helicopter searches over the town of Cantil for debris from Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

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Wreckage from Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rests in desert terrain. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Law enforcement officials guard an area, surrounded by yellow tape, where the pilot’s body was found. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Wreckage from Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo rests in desert terrain. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

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Stuart Witt, CEO and general manager of Mojave Air and Space Port, speaks at a news conference after Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo exploded and crashed, killing one test pilot and seriously injuring another. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press)

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SpaceShipTwo is carried down the runway suspended under the expansive wings of WhiteHorseTwo on a test flight in January. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo during a test flight in January. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo separates from the WhiteKnightTwo during a January test flight over the Mojave Air and Space Port. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Virgin Galactic unveils SpaceShipTwo spacecraft at the Mojave Spaceport on Dec. 7, 2009. (David McNew / Getty Images)

By Melody Petersen , Kimi Yoshino

Nov. 1, 2014 8:23 AM PT

Reporting from Mojave, Calif. —

Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson flew overnight to Mojave, where his SpaceShipTwo rocket plane crashed into the desert on Friday while testing a new motor and fuel mixture for the first time.

In a statement on his website, Branson described his flight as “one of the most difficult trips I have ever had to make.”

“Mojave is also where I want to be — with the dedicated and hard-working people who are now in shock at this devastating loss.”

The British billionaire’s years-long effort to take tourists into space suffered a serious setback Friday when the rocket plane malfunctioned shortly after it was released from WhiteKnightTwo, its carrier. SpaceShipTwo crashed into the Mojave, leaving one pilot dead and another seriously injured. WhiteKnightTwo landed safely.

Branson said the company would cooperate fully with investigators and share more information as it becomes available.

On his website, Branson noted that Friday’s test was the 55th time SpaceShipTwo had flown and the 35th time it had flown freely.

The flight was to be the fourth during which SpaceShipTwo fired its rocket motors.

And it was the first it had attempted with a new motor that used a plastic-based fuel. Virgin Galactic announced in May that it was switching to the new fuel after using a rubber-based propellant.

Executives said Friday after the crash that the new motor and fuel had been thoroughly tested on the ground before the rocket plane took off that morning.

“We’ve always known that the road to space is extremely difficult — and that every new transportation system has to deal with bad days early in their history,” Branson said.

This was the second crash in a week for the commercial space industry, which hadn’t experienced one in several years.

An unmanned Orbital Sciences Corp. rocket carrying supplies bound for the International Space Station exploded just after liftoff Tuesday evening off the coast of Virginia.

Many in the industry said Friday that the crashes were a blow, but they remained committed to their goals.

“Space is hard — but worth it. We will persevere and move forward together,” Branson said.

Twitter: @melodypetersen