Virgin Galactic has completed its first powered flight since a fatal crash nearly four years, a milestone which Sir Richard Branson said brought space ‘tantalisingly close.’

The company has struggled to re-establish itself following the death of co-pilot Michael Alsbury, 39, who was killed when his aircraft crashed into the Mojave Desert in California in October 2014.

Virgin Galactic had promised to send space tourists to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere where they could see the curvature of the planet and experience weightlessness.

But after Captain Alsbury’s death, some customers who had already bought tickets demanded refunds, and the company spent years redesigning the craft, carrying out extensive engine testing and glide tests before attempting another supersonic flight.