Poll: Is the Virgin Galactic test flight disaster the end for space tourism?
Sir Richard Branson's spaceflight company has denied reports it ignored safety warnings ahead of a test flight crash in which one pilot died and another was seriously injured.
It had been claimed concerns were raised about the safety of their project which aims to send tourists to space.
SpaceShipTwo co-pilot Michael Alsbury died when the aircraft crashed in the Mojave desert in California on Friday.
Pilot Peter Siebold was injured and taken to hospital where his employers Scaled Composites said he has been alert and speaking with family members and medical staff.
In a statement Sir Richard's team refuted any allegations they had ignored safety warnings.
"At Virgin Galactic, we are dedicated to opening the space frontier, while keeping safety as our 'North Star'. This has guided every decision we have made over the past decade, and any suggestion to the contrary is categorically untrue," the company said.
Is the Virgin Galactic test flight disaster the end for space tourism?
