State investigators in California say Scaled Composites, the commercial spaceflight company responsible for building the X-Prize winning SpaceShipOne, and Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, is at fault for the fatalities that occurred in a construction site explosion last year.
The explosion took place last July, during tests of a new nitrous oxide-based engine for Virgin's planned rocket plane. Three people were killed, and three others critically injured.
According to an investigation by the California Department of Industrial Relations, the company did not take adequate precautions in training workers and supervisors on the dangers of nitrous oxide.
During a test of the engine, eleven workers were gathered nearby, watching from behind a chain-link fence, the report said, according to this Associated Press article. When the blast occurred, two were instantly killed, and another died on the way to the hospital.
The company, which was purchased by Northrup Grumman last year, has already been fined $28,870 in connection with the explosion.
Spaceship Builder Faulted in Explosion [Associated Press]
(Image: Artist's impression of Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, currently being designed by Scaled Composites. Credit: Virgin Galactic)
