Shares of Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. soared by 11.4% on Thursday as the company successfully completed its Galactic 05 research mission, marking its sixth spaceflight in just six months. The mission took off from Spaceport America in New Mexico at 11 a.m. ET.
A Team of Experts on Board
The crew for the Galactic 05 mission included renowned American planetary scientist Dr. Alan Stern, who also serves as the associate vice president of Southwest Research Institute’s Space Sector. Joining him was Kellie Gerardi, a bioastronautics researcher from the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS). During the suborbital spaceflight, these two researchers conducted human-tended research. Additionally, the mission transported Ketty Maisonrouge, a private astronaut of Franco-Italian nationality, into space. This makes Dr. Stern, Gerardi, and Maisonrouge Virgin Galactic’s 20th, 21st, and 22nd astronauts, respectively.
Virgin Galactic’s Ongoing Endeavors
Galactic 05 marks Virgin Galactic’s second space research mission this year. The first, Galactic 01, which took place in June, involved transporting three crew members from the Italian Air Force and the National Research Council of Italy into space to conduct microgravity research. It was the company’s first dedicated science mission.
Just last month, Virgin Galactic successfully completed its Galactic 04 mission, which carried private astronauts from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Pakistan into space. This milestone also marked the company’s first private astronaut spaceflight. Earlier this year, on August 10, the Galactic 02 mission made history by taking the second-youngest person ever into space, along with the first mother-daughter duo.
A Successful Return to Earth
Following the completion of the research mission, the VSS Unity spacecraft safely returned to Earth.
Virgin Galactic shares have seen a decline of 52.4% in 2023, in contrast to the S&P 500 index’s gain of 11.9%.
