Space travel worth its risks, says Branson

November 04, 2014 00:17

Days after Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo disintegrated above California, killing one of its co-pilots, Virgin founder Richard Branson says making commercial space travel a reality is worth the risks involved.

The accident killed co-pilot Michael Tyner Alsbury and injured co-pilot Peter Siebold, who managed to parachute to the ground.

Branson paid tribute to Alsbury in an interview with CNN's Poppy Harlow on Monday.

"He was an extremely brave man -- as all test pilots are, extremely brave people. He had a young family, he was married and his family loved him enormously," Branson said.

"But he was a test pilot, and test pilots are trying to discover things that 400 engineers and technicians on the ground can't necessarily see on the ground. And the test pilots push the aircraft to the limit before, finally, members of the traveling public are allowed on it."

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