Moment Virgin Galactic spaceship exploded at 45,000ft: One pilot dead and another critical as Richard Branson's $500m space tourism plane blows up testing new fuel over California desert *Space plane broke into pieces above Mojave Desert, California, on first flight using experimental rocket fuel
*One pilot died in the crash, another parachuted out of falling plane but was seriously injured in the disaster
*SpaceShipTwo plane had swapped rubber-based rocket fuel for a higher- performing plastic blend today
*More than 700 people - including Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry - have paid $250,000 for tickets
*Witnesses who rushed to falling debris reported seeing dead pilot strapped into his seat with body parts missing
*Virgin founder Richard Branson has sunk $500million into space company, which launched in 2004
*Branson had previously said his company 'can't lose anybody' and be successful space flight operator
*Neither pilot has been named. At least five people are cleared to fly the spacecraft - two have been confirmed safe
This is the moment Virgin Galatic's spacecraft exploded miles above the desert, killing one of its pilots, in its first test flight loaded with an experimental new rocket fuel.
The SpaceShipTwo plane, designed to run the first ever passenger flights into space, split into pieces and fell to earth two minutes after being launched mid-air from a carrier plane over California's Mojave Desert.
Wreckage rained from the sky as one pilot managed to eject from the cockpit using a parachute, while the other was reportedly left strapped to his seat as he plummeted to earth and died.
The pilot who ejected also suffered serious injuries and is now in hospital. Virgin has not yet said who the pilots were - though only four men were cleared by the FAA to pilot the craft.
Today's flight was the first time SpaceShipTwo had taken to the skies using a new, solid plastic fuel instead of the rubber-based propellant which powered earlier flights. Virgin founder Richard Branson is flying urgently to the scene of the accident.
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