It will take investigators at least a year

He parachuted clear as the craft disintegrated over the Mojave desert on 31 October, but co-pilot Michael Alsbury was killed.

It will take investigators at least a year to compile their full report.

Their test was to be one a series that Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic company hoped would finally lead to a commercial passenger service to sub-orbital space being introduced next year .

Mr Siebold, who was interviewed by NTSB investigators on Friday, said he was not aware that his co-pilot had prematurely unlocked the descent braking system.

The NTSB gave no explanation for the crash, but SpaceShipTwo broke apart seconds after igniting its rocket engine, and shortly after the "feathering" system had been unlocked.
Peter Siebold, left, was piloting SpaceShipTwo alongside co-pilot Michael Alsbury, right Peter Siebold, left, survived the incident but his co-pilot, Michael Alsbury, died

Mr Siebold said he unbuckled from his seat at some point during a fall that began several kilometres up. His parachute subsequently deployed automatically.

Investigators have not revealed the exact altitude of the break-up, but previous SpaceShipTwo test flights flew to about 16km (10 miles) above the Earth
.

At this altitude it is highly likely that Mr Siebold lost consciousness for some time due to the lack of oxygen.

In an update, the NTSB said that the on-scene part of the investigation had now concluded and that the wreckage had been recovered and stored at a secure location.门禁读卡器

The feathering system had come under scrutiny in previous statements by the NTSB. The spaceship is designed to alter its shape when it re-enters the atmosphere.

The two tails, or feathers, tilt upwards to generate drag during the craft's plunge to Earth.

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But simply unlocking the system should not have been enough by itself to cause it to deploy. The pilot must first unlock the system and then activate the feathers in separate procedures.

The feathers are not supposed to be unlocked until the craft reaches a speed of Mach 1.4.
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