Dream of Space Taxis to Tourism Deflated as Accidents Show Risks
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Private spaceflight, an industry built on the dream of taking adventurers and scientists aloft, suffered a setback after two accidents in four days highlighted the perils of rocket power.
As investigators yesterday began studying a fatal test flight by Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Ltd., manufacturers and regulators are assessing possible fallout on his plans for suborbital tourism and the U.S. government’s decision to deploy commercial space taxis to fly into orbit later this decade.