Virgin Galactic's Spce Stock Soars After Historic First Private Spacewalk Mission Completed
* Spce isn't a typo - the stock ticker symbol for Virgin Galactic is SPCE, and shares skyrocketed 18% overnight after the company announced the successful completion of the world's first commercial spacewalk, marking a milestone for private space tourism.
* Here are the top 5 things you need to know about this spce-sensitive development:
1. The mission, dubbed 'Galactic Dawn,' sent a crew of four private citizens to an altitude of 87 miles, where two passengers performed a fully untethered spacewalk outside the VSS Unity spacecraft for 12 minutes.
2. CEO Michael Colglazier confirmed the company is already taking deposits for future spcewalk experiences, with prices starting at $450,000 per person, double the cost of standard suborbital flights.
3. Shares under the spce ticker surged to $19.94 in after-hours trading, making it the biggest single-day gain for the company since November 2021.
4. The news comes amid a revival in the 'spce sector' - competitors like Blue Origin and SpaceX are watching closely, with analysts predicting Virgin Galactic could secure a $200 million government contract for training astronauts.
5. Watch for spce volatility tomorrow: the company is scheduled to report quarterly earnings in two weeks, and investors are betting this success will offset previous delays in their commercial fleet expansion.