Virgin Galactic crash could force celebrities to re-think

Leonardo Di Caprio, Ashton Kutcher, Angelina Jolie, Tom Hanks and Katy Perry are some of just the many high profile guests that have booked a space adventure with Richard Branson's highly ambitious Virgin Galactic.

Following the tragic crash this week of the SpaceShip Two which killed the pilot, the future of space tourism is in doubt. Virgin Galactic released a statement on their website following the crash:

"Our primary thoughts at this moment are with the crew and family, and we’re doing everything we can for them now. I’d like to recognize the work of the first responders who we work with in the Antelope Valley for their efforts on behalf of the team. We’re also thinking of the team members that we have at the companies that have been working on this program.

Space is hard and today was a tough day. We are going to be supporting the investigation as we figure out what happened today. We’re going to get through it."

For several years the Virgin Galactic project has been one of the pivotal, ground-breaking ventures from entrepreneur Richard Branson that was set to change our relationship with space forever.

The founder vowed to press on despite the huge setback, but it is unclear how the list of clients already signed up to Virgin Galactic will respond. Back in 2013 at the AMFAR charity ball in Cannes, millions of dollars were raised for the aids charity with a Virgin Galactic ticket auction. A lucky bidder splashed out $1.5 million (£938k) to get a seat next to Leonardo DiCaprio on one of the space flights. Another pair of tickets also raised £1.4m.

While the investigation continues, we can only hope that this is not the end of Branson's vision for space travel and that people will stick to the firm's commitment to space exploration.