5 Things to Know About Virgin Galactic and the First Passenger Flight to Space

Here’s what to ticker for Sunday, on with immoderate caller history.

When Will the Virgin Galactic Space Flight Take Off?

The Virgin Galactic Unity 22 spaceflight is expected to motorboat from Virgin’s spaceport successful New Mexico astir 9 a.m. eastbound time. The motorboat tin beryllium streamed unrecorded connected the company’s website and connected Barron’s below.

How High Up successful Space Will Passenger Go?

Galactic’s VSS Unity spacecraft volition deed speeds of astir Mach 3, oregon 3 times the velocity of sound, and emergence to astir 300,000 feet, oregon 57 miles. That’s astir 10 times arsenic precocious arsenic galore commercialized flights but inactive considered the borderline of space. The suborbital formation volition not walk the alleged Karman line, which is what scientists usage to specify the bound of outer space. That enactment is astir 62 miles up.

Blue Origin plans to instrumentality its passengers past the Karman enactment connected its flight.

How Much Did Passengers Pay for the Trip?

Nothing. While this formation could beryllium different measurement guardant for abstraction tourism, the expected unit members are Galactic employees and Branson. Joining the company’s laminitis connected committee volition beryllium 2 pilots; Beth Moses, main astronaut instructor; Colin Bennett, pb operations engineer; and Sirisha Bandla, vice president of authorities affairs and probe operations.

Still, Branson is nary alien to publicity. Canaccord expert Ken Herbert believes it’s possible that Galactic could astonishment viewers by bringing a paying lawsuit connected committee with Branson. That would make further buzz for the company.

A determination similar that would champion space-tourism rival Blue Origin successful different way. Bezos is expected to instrumentality the archetypal paying rider to abstraction connected his formation aboriginal this month. That spot was auctioned disconnected for $28 million.

A summons connected a aboriginal Virgin Galactic formation volition tally about $250,000.

What Does the Flight Mean for Investors?

The continuation of formation tests brings Galactic 1 measurement person to afloat commercialization, which means income and, hopefully, net down the road.

Once afloat operational, each Galactic spaceship is expected to marque astir 36 flights a year. Most Galactic spaceships person astir six seats for sale. At afloat capacity, that’s astir $54 cardinal per spaceship a year.

Analysts expect Galactic to bash astir $3 cardinal successful 2021 sales, increasing to $51 cardinal successful 2022 and $555 cardinal by 2025. Earnings and currency travel are expected to crook affirmative astir 2024.

The formation and associated quality sum besides correspond publicity for the company.

How Will Virgin Galactic Stock Benefit?

A palmy trial formation is simply a wide affirmative for Galactic, but it mightiness not beryllium truthful for its stock. The quality of the formation and the imaginable benefits are, for the astir part, already priced into shares of Virgin Galactic.

The banal is up astir 120% twelvemonth to day and up much than 200% implicit the past 12 months, giving the start-up a marketplace capitalization of astir $11 billion.

Investors shouldn’t beryllium disappointed if the banal doesn’t summation connected Monday pursuing a palmy flight. The eventual worth of the institution volition beryllium determined down the road.

Analysts loved the banal erstwhile it was cheaper. Back successful September, each analysts covering Galactic rated shares Buy. The average Buy-rating ratio for S&P 500 stocks is astir 55%.

Shares were $25 successful September. Now, lone 30% of analysts complaint shares Buy arsenic the banal has rocketed northbound of $50 a share.

Write to Al Root astatine allen.root@dowjones.com