By Christiana Sciaudone
Investing.com -- Virgin Galactic rose more than 6% after saying it will fly a researcher into space.
The company has a contract to fly Kellie Gerardi, a researcher for the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), on a research flight. Gerardi will conduct experiments and test new healthcare technologies while up there.
Virgin Galactic expects to provide new benefits to the space science research community by offering repeatability, affordability and quality of the weightless environment, which have historically been barriers for many wanting to conduct spaceflight research, the company said in a statement.
During the spaceflight, Kellie will unbuckle from her seat and undertake the actions necessary to complete each experiment during several minutes of weightlessness. The research experiments will include bio-monitoring instrumentation, including the Astroskin Bio-Monitor wearable sensors system designed to measure the biological effects of launch, weightlessness, re-entry, and landing on spaceflight participants.