The wreckage from Virgin Galactics SpaceShipTwo. Photograph: Reuters

A Virgin Galactic spacecraft crashed after an explosion during a test flight over the Mojave desert on Friday, killing one of the pilots, seriously injuring another and leaving debris scattered over a wide area.

The plane, SpaceShipTwo, was undertaking a test flight as part of Virgin Galactics plans for commercial space travel when a serious anomaly occurred, the company said.

Witnesses reported the spacecraft broke apart soon after it was detached from the plane that carries it to 45,000ft.

Rescuers found one of the pilots dead on the ground. Another, who appeared to have deployed an emergency parachute, was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries.

The crash served as another stark reminder the dangers of space exploration, three days after an unmanned rocket on supply mission to the international space station exploded seconds after takeoff from a Nasa launch facility in Virginia.

Space is hard, and today was a tough day, said George Whitesides, CEO and president of Virgin Galactic, at a news conference.

Two pilots are usually on board for Virgin Galactics test flights, launched from a base in the Mojave desert. The identities of those involved in Fridays accident, which happened just before 11am local time, were not disclosed.

The California Highway Patrol confirmed that one person was dead and another had suffered major injuries in the accident, which happened at 10.51am local time. The survivor was flown to hospital by air ambulance.

A spokesman for Kern County sheriff said the co-pilot of the plane had been killed, while the pilot ejected and suffered moderate to major injuries.

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One person dead as Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo rocket plane crashes on test flight