WASHINGTON
- The July 26 test stand accident that killed three Scaled Composites employees
on a propulsion system for Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo is expected to be no
more than a temporary setback for the emerging personal space flight industry.
The Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) office in charge of licensing private space
flight operators, including New Mexico-based Virgin Galactic, is treating the test stand
mishap as an industrial accident, leaving the ongoing investigation to
Scaled Composites and California's workplace safety authorities. Patricia Grace
Smith, the FAA's associate administrator for commercial space transportation
told Space News July 31 in a statement that the director of the Mojave
Air and Spaceport where the incident occurred and the California [Occupational
Safety and Health Administration] officials called in to investigate "indicate
this was an industrial accident, a fuel-flow test gone terribly wrong." The
incident did not involve any activities regulated by the FAA, according to
Smith.
"It was not
a launch accident. It was not a flight accident. It was not directly related to
vehicle performance or passenger involvement," she said.
The FAA is
expected to closely follow the accident investigations being conducted by
California OSHA and Scaled Composites. Sources familiar with the FAA's
processes said the regulatory agency likely would factor the investigation
findings into future license or permit applications relating to SpaceShipTwo,
which is being built to carry
six paying passengers into suborbital space.
"The FAA
does take accidents during development into consideration when it conducts its
maximum probable loss analysis," said a lawyer who follows commercial space
transportation law. "So this will come back to some degree to Scaled Composites
when they decide to go out and actually get a license." For now, Smith's
message was one of support, both for the Scaled Composites and the pursuit of
personal spaceflight.
"First and
foremost the Mojave accident was a crushing day for the families of those lost
and injured. It was a painful and unforgettable day for Scaled Composites,"
Smith said in her statement before concluding, "The dream of private human
spaceflight is in motion and I expect it to keep moving forward."
Scaled
Composites officials, in keeping with their general secrecy about most matters
involving SpaceshipTwo, have provided little detail about what hardware was on
the test stand when the accident involving a cold-flow test went wrong, killing
Todd Ivens, 33, Eric Blackwell, 38, and Glen May, 45 and seriously injuring
three of their co-workers.
During a
July 27 press conference at Mojave airport, Scaled Composites Chief Executive
Burt Rutan told reporters, "We were doing a test we believe was safe. We don't
know why it exploded. We just don't know."
Several
industry sources said the test activity taking place July 26 involved a
composite tank designed for SpaceShipTwo. Like the reusable SpaceShipOne, which
flew twice in two weeks to win the $10
million Ansari X Prize in 2004, SpaceShipTwo is being designed to rely on a
hybrid rocket engine that uses nitrous oxide as an oxidizer and a rubber-based
fuel.
Doug Shane,
Scaled Composites vice president for business development and director of
flight operations, would not say whether the nitrous oxide tank destroyed in
the accident was flight hardware.
"The case
remains under investigation and we are following the lead of state
investigators," he wrote Aug. 1 in an e-mail. "Our focus this week has been on
the families and friends as we continue to mourn this tragic event. We hope to
learn all of the answers that can avert the potential of something like this
happening in the future."
An industry
official who asked not to be identified since the investigation was still under
way predicted that the accident likely would "slow Virgin Galactic down a bit"
but that they would "remain undeterred from entering commercial service."
Prior to
the accident, Virgin Galactic said it expected SpaceShipTwo to begin service no sooner
than late 2009.
George
Whitesides, Virgin Galactic's senior advisor in Washington, declined to comment
on the accident's impact on the company's
business plans.
The
accident so far has elicited no public comment from Congress, which passed
legislation in 2004 setting the framework for regulating personal spaceflight.
But congressional staffers are asking questions.
Stu Witt,
the director of the Mojave Air and Spaceport, was in Washington the week of
July 30 on what he said was a long-planned quarterly visit to meet with
officials at the FAA and Congress. He told Space News the accident was
discussed during his meetings, but would not go into detail.
"The fact
that we had a mishap last week added a little more substance at times to the
visit," Witt said Aug. 2 in a brief interview.
Washington
sources said Smith, too, was on Capitol Hill the week of July 30, stopping by
the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for a meeting requested
by staff there to discuss the accident.
Smith's
office would not comment on the meeting.
Jim Muncy,
a former congressional staffer and Alexandria, Va.-based consultant who works
on personal space flight policy issues, said congressional attention should be
expected but that he does not foresee Scaled Composites' accident creating
political fallout for the industry.
"Everyone
wants this industry to succeed. Everyone knows this is our first trial," Muncy
said. "Members of Congress and their staffs are going to ask questions to make
sure that we learn from it. But the law and the regulatory regime are in place
to ensure public safety and to enable the industry to learn and grow and
succeed."
A week
after the accident, two of the three Scaled Composites employees seriously
injured in the blast - Keith Fritsinger and Gene Gisin - remained in critical
condition but were making progress in their recovery, according to an update
posted on Scaled Composites' Web site. Jason Kramb, meanwhile, was upgraded
from serious condition and moved to a burn unit in Southern California to
continue his recovery.
Scaled
Composites also announced the formation of a support fund to aid the victims
and families of those affected by the accident.
"This is an
incredibly hard time for all of us," Scaled officials said in a statement. "We
continue to ask you to keep those people and families who were hurt or have
died in your thoughts and prayers." The fund can be reached through Scaled
Composites' Web site or by contacting the Scaled Family Support Fund c/o Scaled
Composites, 1624 Flight Line, Mojave, Calif. 93501.
