SpaceShipTwo's Descent System Deployed Early

Virgin Galatic’s SpaceShipTwo broke apart in flight after a device that slows the craft’s descent deployed prematurely, federal investigators said Sunday. SpaceShipTwo's unique “feathering” tail system unfurled as it was ascending, and isn't supposed to be unlocked until the spacecraft reaches 1.4 times the speed of sound, Christopher Hart, the NTSB's acting chairman, said at a news conference. Hart emphasized that this latest development is not any conclusion to the accident’s cause, merely facts that have been gathered to date.

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