Landing gear problem hits space tourism jet

Virgin Galactic's space tourism jet has suffered a landing gear problem during a test flight in California's Mojave Desert.

The incident, described as minor, happened on a runway at the Mojave Air and Space Port.

Aircraft builder Scaled Composites said there was a mechanical problem with the left landing gear of the WhiteKnightTwo, a four-engine jet that will serve as the mother ship to Virgin's passenger-carrying spaceship.

The company did not describe the problem in any detail but said there were no injuries and its spaceship was not attached to the jet at the time.

WhiteKnightTwo is designed to carry Virgin's spaceship to high altitude and then release the rocket, which will then fire its engine for a brief dash into space.