spacetoday.net: Scaled fined for July accident

Posted: Sat, Jan 19, 2008, 9:35 AM ET (1435 GMT)
California regulators have fined Scaled Composites over $25,000 for an accident last July that killed three employees working on the propulsion system for the SpaceShipTwo suborbital vehicle. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) levied the fines, totaling $25,780, for violations of workplace safety codes, including lack of training in hazardous materials, notably nitrous oxide. The three employees were killed, and three others injured, when a nitrous oxide explosion took place during a "cold flow" test of a propulsion system at Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The hybrid propulsion system is being developed for SpaceShipTwo, a commercial suborbital spacecraft under development for Virgin Galactic. Scaled officials said they fully cooperated with Cal/OSHA during the investigation and said that the company has already implemented new procedures.