Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc.’s stock rose 25% Tuesday, continuing its rally as the company prepares for its first commercial flight.
The stock, which is trading around $ 5.91, is on pace for its highest close since Feb, 28, 2023, when it closed at $ 5.74, according to Dow Jones market data. Virgin Galactic shares are also on pace for their largest percent increase since Feb. 15, 2022, when they rose 31.94%.
Shares of the spaceflight company ended Friday’s session up 16.5%, lifted by Virgin Galactic’s SPCE, +26.53% plan for its first commercial flight later this month. On Friday, trading volume for Virgin Galactic was three times higher than the prior 30-day average, FactSet data show.
The commercial flight, Galactic 01, will be a paid scientific-research flight with the Italian air force. TD Cowen analyst Oliver Chen described the first commercial flight as an “out of this world innovation” in a note last month.
Related: Virgin Galactic shares rocket higher on plans for first commercial flight this month
The flight window for Galactic 01 is June 27 to June 30, according to Virgin Galactic. A second commercial flight, Galactic 02, will follow in early August. The company expects that monthly commercial spaceflights will take place after the Galactic 02 mission.
Last month Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity spacecraft made its fully crewed return to space, the company’s first crewed mission in almost two years.
The Unity 25 mission, which was crewed by two pilots and four Virgin Galactic mission specialists, marked an important milestone for the company. It was Virgin Galactic’s first fully crewed spaceflight since July 2021, when VSS Unity carried founder Richard Branson and three company employees to space.
Related: Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity makes fully crewed return to space
Last month Virgin Galactic reported a deeper-than-expected first-quarter loss and revenue that missed analysts’ estimates.
Virgin Galactic’s stock had been pressured by the struggles of Branson’s satellite-launch company, Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc. VORBQ, +54.36%, which filed for bankruptcy protection earlier this year and is now winding down operations and selling its assets.
Shares of Virgin Galactic have risen 43.9% over the last three months.