Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) shares are soaring Friday as the company follows through on an ambitious launch schedule, successfully completing missions tied to this week’s triple-launch effort.
- SpaceX stock is charging ahead with explosive momentum. Why are SPCX shares rallying?
SpaceX Completes its Triple-Launch Window
SpaceX packed three separate launches into a single 13-hour stretch Thursday. One sent four astronauts toward the space station as part of NASA’s Crew-13 mission. Another, Transporter-18, scattered 130 different payloads into low-Earth orbit on behalf of various customers. A third carried a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload, NROL-97, into space aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket.
Records now confirm both Transporter-18 and NROL-97 flew successfully, with Transporter-18 lifting off Oct. 1 from California and NROL-97 following a day later from Florida. Up next, SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 from California on Oct. 5 carrying a payload for the Space Development Agency’s fourth Tranche 1 batch.
This stretch of launches built on Monday’s Starship Flight 14 mission out of Starbase, Texas, the first time the giant rocket actually reached orbit and carried something useful there, namely 26 Starlink V3 satellites. Things didn’t go perfectly. One of the six Raptor engines powering Starship cut out partway through ascent. The vehicle pressed on anyway, released its satellite payload and brought itself back down into the Pacific Ocean under control.
Crew-13 Astronauts Board the Space Station in Record Time
The four-person Crew-13 team made it inside the space station early Friday, floating through the hatch roughly 25 minutes after it opened between the outpost and their Dragon capsule, named Grace, at 9:43 p.m. EDT Thursday.
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins, who commands the mission, spoke during the welcome ceremony that followed, saying, “It is hard to believe that we’re already here, but we are super glad to be here. We are happy to join you guys and get to work as soon as possible.” Her comment about the speedy arrival wasn’t an exaggeration. Crew-13 docked with the station just 7 hours and 55 minutes after liftoff, the fastest trip any American spacecraft has ever made to reach the ISS, Space.com reported.
SPCX Shares Are Popping
SPCX Price Action: SpaceX shares were up 7.21% at $158.75 at the time of publication on Friday, according to Benzinga Pro.
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