On Friday Oct. 31, 2014 Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo crashed in the Mojave desert, leaving pilot Michael Alsbury dead. This came days after the explosion of the unmanned Antares rocket in Virginia . Two accidents, albeit one far more devastating than the other, that will deal a blow to the private space industry.

Reaching the final frontier has always come at a price. As do all new endeavors. Most, if not all, of us remember or have read about the Space Shuttle Challenger and the disaster that followed its launch. The aftermath of this incident left the space program suspended for several years, until the Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off on Sept. 29, 1988.

While we have made leaps and bounds with mobile technology and the growing connectivity of the global landscape, the progress we have made in the scientific field of space, and reaching the great beyond has been minimal. The shuttle program officially ended in 2011 until contracts were given to private companies such as SpaceX and Boeing.

“Testing programs, reaching back to early aviation, have distinct risks,” said a statement by Virgin Galactic.

“Mike loved what he did,” said Brian Binnie, a test pilot who worked with Alsbury. “He was definitely the kind of guy who had a vision for himself.”

Virgin Galactic is moving forward with the construction of a second SpaceShipTwo, the completion of which would hopefully make Alsbury proud.