Virgin Galactic (SPCE) Surges Nearly 10% Following Flight Resumption and Court Settlement

Table of Contents Shares of Virgin Galactic (SPCE) climbed nearly 10% during Friday’s premarket session, extending Thursday’s impressive 19.53% rally. Trading activity placed the stock around the $4.98 mark as investors digested two favorable developments. Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc., SPCE The space tourism company revealed that its VSS Unity spacecraft has resumed flight activities at New Mexico’s Spaceport America. Unity successfully executed the initial glide flight in a series planned to train pilots and ground personnel for upcoming next-generation Spaceship missions. Spaceline President Mike Moses explained that Unity’s glide characteristics effectively replicate those of the forthcoming vehicle. The descent trajectory, landing sequence, and pilot visibility closely simulate the new spacecraft’s behavior, providing invaluable hands-on training under authentic flight conditions. Virgin Galactic has scheduled glide testing for its inaugural next-generation Spaceship in Q3 2026. Rocket-powered test missions to space are slated for Q4 2026. The upgraded fleet is engineered to operate twice weekly with an anticipated service life exceeding 500 flights. This represents a substantial improvement over Unity’s previous flight frequency. The operational restart comes after an extended grounding period that had dampened market confidence. The sight of active spacecraft operations provided tangible evidence that energized momentum traders. On May 19, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued preliminary approval for a settlement addressing two lengthy shareholder derivative lawsuits. Under the agreement, Virgin Galactic’s insurance carriers will contribute $2.75 million to the company, with SPCE retaining half the amount following final approval. The resolution is expected to result in dismissal or moot declaration of all claims. Both current and former company officers and directors rejected all allegations and assertions of misconduct. The agreement eliminates legal uncertainty that had been pressuring the stock. SPCE is positioned considerably above its moving average indicators. The stock trades 63.1% beyond its 20-day moving average and 48.8% above its 200-day moving average — a significant extension typical of rapid advances. The Relative Strength Index registers 78.65, clearly within overbought range. While the 20-day SMA has crossed above the 50-day SMA in a bullish short-term signal, the 50-day continues below the 200-day after January’s death cross. Critical resistance appears at the $5.00 level, with the 52-week peak zone around $5.23. Psychological price barriers of this nature typically require robust trading volume for successful breakouts. The analyst community assigns a Hold consensus rating, with a mean price target of $3.43 — notably beneath current price levels. Jefferies maintains a Buy recommendation with a $5.00 objective, while Morgan Stanley holds an Underweight rating with a $2.30 target. Virgin Galactic’s upcoming earnings report is projected for August 5, 2026. Current estimates call for a loss of 68 cents per share, representing improvement from the prior year’s $1.47 deficit.