Thursday, July 26, 2007

Explosion at Mojave Spaceport


An explosion killed two people and critically injured four others at a Mojave Desert airport site used by the pioneering aerospace company that sent the first private manned rocket into space, authorities said.

The blast at a Mojave Air and Space Port facility belonging to Scaled Composites LLC also left some toxic material, said Kern County fire Capt. Doug Johnston.

Scaled is the Mojave-based builder of SpaceShipOne, the first private manned rocket to reach space, and is developing a successor for the new space tourism business Virgin Galactic.

Aerospace designer Burt Rutan, who heads Scaled, told The Associated Press he had no information and was heading to the scene.

I heard that Northup Grumman is going to purchase 100 percent of Scaled Compsites LLC (they currently own 40%)

UPDATE: More complete story over at LA Times here. HT Transterrestrial Musings.
A third worker died at the hospital. God Speed and rest in peace.

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