Why Virgin Galactic Stock Rocketed Today

By Rich Smith – Mar 31, 2026 at 11:27AM ESTKey PointsVirgin Galactic reported minimal revenue and huge losses last night.It also promised to turn things around in Q4.Virgin Galactic (SPCE +14.52%) stock soared 17.3% through 11:10 a.m. ET Tuesday, despite reporting big GAAP losses last night. With its space tourism rocket fleet still grounded, the company reported $0.3 million in revenue for the quarter, and $1.5 million for all of 2025. Losses totaled $0.98 per share for the quarter, and $5.44 per share for the year. (Per share losses would have been higher, but Virgin Galactic issued so many shares over the past year -- more than doubling its share count -- that losses were spread out among many more shares outstanding.) Free cash flow was deeply negative, with Virgin burning $94.6 million in Q4 and $438.2 million for 2025. And none of that is the point. Image source: Getty Images. Virgin Galactic aims for space With essentially zero revenue but plenty of spending going on to complete its new spaceplane and resume flying tourists to space, investors had assumed Virgin Galactic's numbers would look awful. What people were really looking for in this report, therefore, was evidence that things will improve soon.

And Virgin Galactic gave that to them. Virgin Galactic's new "SpaceShip" (I guess that's the official new name) will begin ground tests in April, and flight tests sometime in Q3. By Q4, management expects to have SpaceShip ready to begin commercial flights. What's more, it will do so at higher ticket prices -- ticket sales have already resumed, and at a new price of $750,000 per seat. A second SpaceShip could be ready to begin flying in Q4 as well -- or in early Q1 2027 at the latest. ExpandNYSE: SPCEVirgin GalacticToday's Change(14.52%) $0.32Current Price$2.48Key Data PointsMarket Cap$159MDay's Range$2.30 - $2.7752wk Range$2.13 - $6.64Volume15MAvg Vol3.1MGross Margin-540764.60% What this means for Virgin Galactic Granted, now Virgin Galactic needs to deliver on all the promises it just made. But at least now there's hope. Virgin Galactic isn't out of the space race yet.Read NextMar 11, 2026 •By Scott LevineChamath PalihapitiyaMar 31, 2026 •By Rick MunarrizCathie Wood Goes Bargain Hunting: 3 Stocks She Just BoughtMar 31, 2026 •By Rich SmithWhy Phreesia Stock Flopped TodayMar 31, 2026 •By Thomas NielA SpaceX IPO Could Open the Door for More Investment Into Smaller Space Companies Like Rocket Lab and Planet LabsMar 31, 2026 •By Rich SmithYork Space and Firefly Are Riding SpaceX's Coattails.

Smaller Space Stocks Post Strong Gains.Mar 31, 2026 •By Will EbiefungThe Best Dividend Stocks to Buy and Hold ForeverAbout the AuthorRich Smith is a contributing Motley Fool defense and stock market analyst covering publicly traded and emerging companies in defense, space, aerospace, and other sectors. Prior to The Motley Fool, Rich practiced international corporate law for Clifford Chance in Russia, and for the Russian-Ukrainian Legal Group in Moscow, Kyiv, and Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the College of William & Mary, a law degree from the University of Baltimore, and a language certification from the International Institute of Russian Language & Culture in Tver, Russian Federation. The Globe and Mail once featured him as “one of the best stock pickers since 2009.”TMFDittyX@RichSmithFoolStocks MentionedVirgin GalacticNYSE: SPCE$2.49(+14.52%)+$0.32*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.