Space stocks go into orbit as Musk mega IPO nears lift-off

European ​space ​stocks surged ‌on Thursday, buoyed ​by investor excitement after ‌Elon Musk's SpaceX filed for a stock market listing, lifting ‌sentiment across the sector.

Shares in ‌French satellite operator Eutelsat jumped 10% in early trading, while ⁠German ​satellite ⁠maker OHB rose 12% and Luxembourg's ⁠SES gained 3.5%.

Eutelsat and OHB ​have risen 20% and ⁠32%, respectively, this week. SpaceX's initial ⁠public ​offering (IPO) filing on Wednesday is driving positive sentiment ⁠for European satellite stocks, one trader ⁠told ⁠Reuters.