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Virgin Galactic hopes to begin testing a new version of SpaceShipTwo by the end of the year, according to the company's chief executive.

Its previous plane was destroyed in a crash in the Mojave Desert in October 2014.

The company said it is planning to use lessons learned from the crash to ensure that the new spacecraft works 'better'.

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Chief executive George Whitesides has said the new spacecraft (shown in construction) is nearly ready. He said it could begin test flights by the end of this year. Its predecessor was destroyed in the Mojave Desert on 31 October 2014. Co-pilot Michael Alsbury was killed and pilot Peter Siebold was injured

The comments were made by chief executive George Whitesides at the annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, reported the Financial Times.

'The first message that I wanted to communicate is that we are moving forward well,' Mr Whitesides told the audience.

'The team is doing great and has turned a corner - that is the second spaceship.'

Virgin Galactic has not named this vehicle yet. The first was called SW12 8QYVSS Enterprise.

Construction on the spacecraft began in 2012, as Virgin Galactic always planned to have more than one craft.

'Assembly of SpaceShipTwo Serial 2 is now 75 per cent complete, and we are on track to start the vehicle's test program this year,' a spokesperson from the company told MailOnline.

'This programme includes both ground and flight tests, the exact timing of which will be dictated by safety and readiness rather than deadlines.'

The previous SpaceShipTwo was destroyed on 31 October 2014 when co-pilot Michael Alsbury accidentally pulled a lever that activated the craft's 'feathering system'.

This is used to help the vehicle slow down and return from space - but deploying it at the wrong moment caused the spacecraft to disintegrate.

Alsbury was killed in the resultant crash, while pilot Peter Siebold was seriously injured - but somehow survived when he was thrown clear of the cockpit in his seat.

While the fault appears to have been down to human error - and not a mechanical fault - the National Transportation Safety Board is yet to publish its report on the crash.

Virgin Galactic CEO, George Whitesides, on the new spaceship

The first SpaceShipTwo spacecraft, VSS Enterprise (pictured), was destroyed when co-pilot Michael Alsbury accidentally pulled a level that activated the craft's 'feathering system' at high speeds. Deploying it at the wrong moment caused the spacecraft to disintegrate

'The team is doing great and has turned a corner - that is the second spaceship,' said chief executive George Whitesides, left. Richard Branson, right, has previously spoken of his desire to push forward

While the crash of VSS Enterprise (shown) appears to have been down to human error - and not mechanical - the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is yet to publish its report

Debris was scattered across the Mojave Desert following the crash. Although Alsbury was killed, Siebold was able to somehow survive when his seat was thrown clear of the disintegrating cockpit

Wreckage of Virgin Galactic's space tourism rocket

One issue is that spacecraft are normally required to be capable of handling two errors.

But in this case only one - the pulling of the lever - was enough to cause a catastrophic failure.

Mr Whitesides was confident, though, that the company could overcome the disaster.

'I think, ultimately, we will have a better spaceship for it,' he said, adding that they still had 'roughly 700 [customers] who are eager to fly.' 

Celebrities among the 700 who have tickets include Ashton Kutcher (left) and Leonardo DiCaprio (right)

While SpaceShipTwo was destroyed, the White Knight II plane carrying it - shown - remained intact, and will likely be used again for the successor