Investigators looking into what caused the crash of a Virgin Galactic prototype spacecraft that killed one of two test pilots said a five-mile path of debris across the California desert indicates the aircraft broke up in flight.

A winged spaceship designed to take tourists on excursions beyond Earth’s atmosphere exploded during a test flight over the Mojave Desert, killing a pilot.

Businessman Richard Branson has reiterated his claim that the first Virgin Galactic flight into space will take place later this year.

Virgin Galactic says it has successfully conducted a second rocket-powered, supersonic test flight of the passenger spaceship it is developing.