Virgin Galactic Completes Merger with Social Capital Hedosophia, Creating the World's First and Only Publicly Traded Commercial Human Spaceflight Company
26.10.2019 01:20:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Virgin Galactic ("VG"), a vertically integrated aerospace company, and Social Capital Hedosophia ("SCH"), a public investment vehicle, today announced the completion of their previously announced business combination. The resulting company is named Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (“VGH”) and its common stock, units and warrants are expected to commence trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol “SPCE”, ”SPCE.U” and “SPCE WS", respectively, on October 28, 2019. The Company manufactures its space vehicles in Mojave, California, through its aerospace development subsidiary The Spaceship Company, with commercial operations centered at Spaceport America in New Mexico.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191025005532/en/
(Photo: Business Wire)
VG already has customer reservations from more than 600 people in 60 countries representing approximately $80 million in total collected deposits, and over $120 million of potential revenue. The completion of this merger and trading as a public company are the next milestones on the path towards building a thriving commercial service business and investing appropriately for the future.
George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic Holdings said:
“Today is the start of a new era for the human spaceflight industry. VG has already pioneered several important space milestones, including sending the first test passenger to space onboard a commercial vehicle, and today’s announcement is no different. Now that VG is a publicly traded company, anyone can invest in a human spaceflight company that is striving to truly transform the market and be part of the excitement of the commercial space industry. I am proud of the strong flow of customer deposits and interest we have earned to date, and look forward to making the dream of spaceflight come true for our amazing astronaut customers.”
Chamath Palihapitiya, Founder and CEO of SCH, said:
“Since our founding, SCH set out to unite technologists, entrepreneurs and technology-oriented investors around a shared vision. What was once a pursuit is now a successfully completed mission. We are pleased to have reached today’s monumental milestone and look forward to continuing to work with the Company to transform the commercial space industry.”
Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Galactic, said:
“To fellow investors, employees of VG and The Spaceship Company, business partners and customers – thank you for your commitment to our great company, which has made today’s exciting announcement possible. With our proprietary spaceflight system, special airspace access at Spaceport America, globally-recognized brand and broad investor interest, I believe VG is ideally positioned to capitalize on the fast-growing, multibillion-dollar commercial space market and ultimately open space to thousands of new astronauts. Today, we achieved one mission, and as we bring more and more future astronauts to space, we look forward to the future.”
Transaction Details
As a result of this transaction, Virgin Galactic has received over $450m of primary proceeds and as at market close on Friday 25th October, the business has a market capitalization of $2.3bn. Going forward, existing Virgin Galactic shareholders will own nearly 59%. The Company’s board of directors consists of Chamath Palihapitiya as Chairman, Adam Bain and James Ryans, who were directors of SCH, as well as Wanda Austin, Craig Kreeger, George Mattson, Evan Lovell and George Whitesides.
About Virgin Galactic Holdings
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. is a vertically-integrated aerospace company pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals and researchers. It believes the commercial exploration of space represents one of the most exciting and significant technology initiatives of our time. It is embarking on this commercial exploration journey with a mission to put humans into space and return them safely to earth on a routine, consistent and affordable basis. Using its proprietary and reusable technologies, and supported by a distinctive, Virgin-branded customer experience, it is developing a spaceflight system designed to offer customers a unique, multi-day experience culminating in a spaceflight that includes several minutes of weightlessness and views of Earth from space. It is in the final stages of development, having already completed multiple crewed flights of its vehicle into space, and anticipates initial commercial launch in 2020.
For downloadable assets please visit our Press FTP https://www.image.net/virgingalactic
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191025005532/en/
Contact information
For media inquiries relating to Social Capital Hedosophia please contact:
Jonathan Gasthalter/Carissa Felger/Nathaniel Garnick
Gasthalter & Co.
+1 (212) 257-4170
SCH@gasthalter.com
For media inquiries relating to Virgin Galactic please contact:
VirginGalacticPress@virgingalactic.com
UK, Middle East, Asia, Africa – Ollie Bailey-Pratt
vg@fticonsulting.com, +44 (203) 727-1000
US, Canada, South America, Australia – Antonia Gray
vg@fticonsulting.com, +1 (347) 574-4352
For Investor Relations inquiries relating to Virgin Galactic please contact:
VirginGalactic-SVC@SARDVERB.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Samsung Bioepis Announces Positive Preliminary Phase 1 Data for SB27, Proposed Biosimilar to Keytruda (Pembrolizumab)6.5.2026 02:00:00 EEST | Press release
Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd. announced today that the Phase 1 study on SB27, a proposed biosimilar to Keytruda1 (pembrolizumab), has met its primary pharmacokinetics (PK) endpoints. The randomized, double-blind, three-arm, parallel group, multicenter clinical trial demonstrated pharmacokinetic bioequivalence of SB27 (pembrolizumab) to the reference product Keytruda. Initiated in January 2024, Phase 1 study is being conducted in four countries, and is expected to be completed by November 2026.2 The study assessed pharmacokinetics, efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of SB27, EU-sourced Keytruda, and US-sourced Keytruda in patients with stage II or IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following complete resection and adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy. 163 participants were randomized to receive SB27, EU-sourced Keytruda, or US-sourced Keytruda every 3 weeks, maximum 18 cycles over about 51 weeks, and blood samples were collected. The preliminary pharmacokinetic evaluation indicates t
Megaport Launches Built-In DDoS Protection Enabling On-Demand Network Resilience6.5.2026 01:00:00 EEST | Press release
Megaport Limited (ASX: MP1) (“Megaport”), a leading global automated infrastructure platform, today announced the launch of Megaport DDoS Protection. This new, built-in security capability for Megaport Internet allows customers to filter malicious traffic directly within the Megaport network rather than routing it through a separate or external service, for mission-critical uptime without introducing additional latency or routing complexity. As enterprises increasingly migrate to distributed cloud environments, traditional DDoS mitigation has struggled to keep pace with cloud and distributed infrastructure adoption. Standard ISP solutions often resort to dropping all traffic and taking the service offline to protect the network, while external third-party providers force a "security detour" that reroutes traffic through public infrastructure, introducing significant latency and complexity. Megaport DDoS Protection removes these challenges by integrating fabric-native protection directl
IFF Reports First Quarter 2026 Results5.5.2026 23:23:00 EEST | Press release
IFF (NYSE: IFF) reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. First Quarter 2026 Consolidated Summary: Management Commentary “IFF is off to a solid start in 2026, with first quarter results that reflect the customer focus and operational execution we’ve been building across the company,” said Erik Fyrwald, CEO of IFF. “We delivered volume growth in all four segments, improved profitability, and generated strong cash flow in the first quarter. As we look ahead, we are maintaining a disciplined approach to how we are planning the balance of the year as the current operating environment remains unsettled. We remained focused on advancing our commercial and innovation pipelines, driving productivity, and working with customers to offset inflation. This – when combined with our solid start to the year – derisks the balance of the year and gives us the confidence to reaffirm our full-year 2026 financial guidance ranges in an uncertain environment. At the same time, w
Logitech Announces Q4 and Full Fiscal Year 2026 Results5.5.2026 23:06:00 EEST | Press release
SIX Swiss Exchange Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR — Logitech International (SIX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full Fiscal Year 2026. For Fiscal Year 2026: Sales were $4.84 billion, up 6 percent in US dollars and 4 percent in constant currency compared to the prior year. GAAP operating income was $775 million, up 18 percent compared to the prior year. Non-GAAP operating income was $911 million, up 18 percent compared to the prior year. GAAP earnings per share was $4.80, up 16 percent compared to the prior year. Non-GAAP EPS was $5.78, up 19 percent compared to the prior year. Cash flow from operations was $1.04 billion. The year-ending cash balance was $1.7 billion. The Company returned $768 million of cash to shareholders through its annual dividend payment and share repurchases. For Q4 Fiscal Year 2026: Sales were $1.09 billion, up 7 percent in US dollars and 3 percent in constant currency compared to Q4 of the prior yea
Sentinel Midstream Advances Texas GulfLink Deepwater Port5.5.2026 23:00:00 EEST | Press release
Sentinel Midstream LLC (Sentinel) today announced the commencement of its Texas GulfLink deepwater port (Texas GulfLink or the Project), marking a significant milestone enabled by funding received pursuant to the U.S.—Japan Trade Agreement. The project advances in coordination with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Government of Japan and reflects the shared commitment to strengthening global energy security and expanding U.S. export infrastructure. Sentinel will lead the development of Texas GulfLink, overseeing construction, commercial operations, and long-term management of the terminal. Funding provided under the U.S.—Japan Trade Agreement, pursuant to Executive Order 14345 signed on September 4, 2025, underscores continued international confidence in U.S. energy infrastructure and supports the expansion of American crude oil exports to global markets. Upon this commencement, Texas GulfLink will immediately begin construction of its deepwater crude oil export terminal, unlock
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom