The investigation into what caused the Virgin Galactic test flight to crash could take as long as 12 months, lead investigator Chris Hart has said.
Mr Hart, who is acting head of the National Transportation Safety Board, also told reporters that his team would interview injured co-pilot Peter Siebold when he was ready.
Investigators in California have "all of the important parts" of the SpaceShipTwo rocket, according to the acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Chris Hart told reporters investigators had found "the fuel tanks, the oxidiser tanks and the engine" all intact and showing "no signs of burn-through", meaning there did not appear to have been an explosion.
He said the search had been complicated by the spread of the parts, which were scattered over a five mile area in the Mojave desert.
Mr Hart also said the NTSB were conducting "a number of interview" relating to the crash, but said details would not be released until the investigation was finished.
Faced with a five-mile debris trail and masses of technical data, the team investigating the crash of SpaceShipTwo have their work cut out.
The loss is a tragedy for this small tight-knit team that dreams of making the trip into space accessible to travellers not just astronauts.