Virgin Galactic crash: Inquiry team lands in Mojave 1 November 2014 Last updated at 22:19 Sir Richard Branson: "We are determined to find out what went wrong" US officials have started to investigate why a Virgin Galactic space rocket crashed over California's Mojave desert on a test flight. One pilot died and the other was badly injured when SpaceShipTwo exploded shortly after take-off on Friday. A National Transportation Safety Board team arrived in Mojave on Saturday and was heading to the crash site. Virgin chief Sir Richard Branson said he was "determined to find out what went wrong" and learn from the tragedy. The dead pilot was named as Michael Alsbury, aged 39. The pilot who survived the crash was identified by the local sheriff's office as Peter Siebold, 43. They said he was due to undergo surgery, but did not comment on his condition. Speaking at the at the Mojave Air and Space Port, where the craft was being developed, Virgin Group founder Sir Richard said "nobody underestimates the risks involved in space travel." It has already taken more than 700 flight bookings at $250,000 (£156,000) each, with Sir Richard pledging to travel on the first flight. "We owe it to our test pilots to find out what went wrong, and once we find out, if we can overcome it, we will make sure that the dream lives on," Sir Richard added. Sir Richard said Virgin Galactic and its partners had "been undertaking a comprehensive testing programme for many years and safety has always been our number one priority." A team of between 13 and 15 NTSB investigators - including specialists in structures, systems, engines and vehicle performance - had arrived in Mojave on Saturday morning and would begin on-site work later in the day, NTSB acting chairman Christopher Hart said. Their work would include detailed examination of all available data, work at the crash site and interviewing witnesses, Mr Hart said. "This was a test flight and test flights are typically very well documented in terms of data," he added. Wreckage from the crash is scattered across a large area of the Mojave Desert, north-east of Los Angeles. SpaceShipTwo was flying its first test flight for nine months when it crashed shortly after take-off near the town of Bakersfield. In a statement, the company said SpaceShipTwo had experienced "a serious anomaly" after the craft separated from its launcher, an aircraft called WhiteKnightTwo. In a blog post on Friday, Sir Richard said everyone involved in the project was "deeply saddened."