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Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is battling to keep alive its dream of putting tourists into space as accusations surfaced that the company had ignored safety warnings, and its dwindling finances came under scrutiny.
李察•布莱信爵士(Sir Richard Branson)创立的维珍银河(Virgin Galactic)正努力让其将游客送入太空的梦想继续存活，此际，外界指控其忽视安全警告。同时，该公司日渐缩减的财力也成为关注的焦点之一。
The head of the company rejected accusations that it had taken risks with its novel rocket propulsion system and said that it could have a new spacecraft ready to fly next year.
维珍银河CEO乔治•怀特赛兹(George Whitesides)否认了这些指控，并表示，该公司考虑到了最新火箭推进系统的风险，同时宣称新的宇宙飞船可能会在明年建成飞行。
George Whitesides, Virgin Galactic chief executive, said that claims from others in the space industry that Sir Richard Branson’s space tourism company was running high risks marked a difference of professional opinion rather than valid warnings.
他说，航空界人士对李察爵士的太空旅游公司存在高风险的指控，仅代表不同的专业意见，并非有充分根据的安全警告。
At the same time, Sir Richard’s Virgin Group confirmed that it was supporting the day-to-day expenses of Virgin Galactic of Virgin Galactic out of its own pocket after the money for the initial financing for the project, including $400m put up by an Abu Dhabi government investment vehicle, had been exhausted.
同时，李察爵士的维珍集团(Virgin Group)证实，在该项目的初期融资（包括阿布扎比一政府投资机构提供的4亿美元）用完后，维珍银河的日常费用现在由维珍集团提供。
The possibility of further delays and the danger of cutbacks by Virgin were being watched nervously at the Mojave spaceport, a collection of hangars alongside a dusty strip of diners and cheap motels that has become a focus for the new private space industry.
在莫哈维航空港，人们对项目进一步拖延的可能忧心及维珍削减经费的风险充满担忧。
Friday’s flight was the first to use the new fuel system, which the Virgin Galactic chief executive acknowledged had been put through a full test cycle on the ground only a handful of times.
上周五，维珍银河(Virgin Galactic)的“太空船2号”(SpaceShipTwo)在一次飞行测试中发生爆炸，两名飞行员一死一伤。此次试飞是维珍银河首次使用新的燃料系统，怀特赛兹承认仅在地面经过了为数不多的完整测试周期。
US government investigators said late on Saturday that it was too early to reach any conclusions about the cause of the crash or how long the Virgin Galactic programme would be closed down. A full report could take a year, said Christopher Hart, acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.
美国政府调查人员上周六晚表示，现在就对飞船坠毁的原因以及维珍银河项目多久将被关闭做出任何结论，还为时过早。美国国家运输安全委员会(National Transportation Safety Board)代主席克里斯托弗•哈特(Christopher Hart)表示，全面报告可能会耗时一年。
Even if it ultimately clears Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo of any major flaws, the length of the NTSB investigation looks set to complicate further Sir Richard’s hopes of getting back to development of the project, which is already years behind schedule.
即便报告最终认定维珍银行的“太空船2号”(SpaceShipTwo)不存在任何重大缺陷，该委员会的调查时间之长也将进一步打击李察爵士让该项目重新上马的希望，该项目已较原计划拖延数年。
A second spacecraft under construction for the last three years in New Mexico is “65 per cent complete”, Mr Whitesides said, adding that it could be ready to fly next year, once the cause of last week’s accident has been resolved. “The second spaceship is getting close to readiness,” he said.
怀特赛兹表示，过去3年在新墨西哥州在建的第二艘宇宙飞船已“完工65%”，他补充称，一旦查清上周事故的原因，这架飞船可能会在明年起飞。他表示：“这架飞船正接近完工。”
