The stock is now up nearly 60% since Virgin Galactic went public last October through a merger with a so-called special purpose acquisition company.

Optimism about the SpaceX launch, the first manned mission by NASA in nine years, could provide a boost to the fortunes of many companies with ties to the business of space.

An exchange-traded fund that invests in some of those companies, the Procure Space ETF (UFO), was up 2.5% Monday.