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