SpaceX is among the most notable and renowned private companies in the world. Indeed, most Americans have heard of the Elon Musk-led company, which has secured a number of very lucrative government contracts over the years in part due to the company's ability to successfully launch (and land) rockets in a reliable way.

Shares of Tesla Inc. rose 8.22% to $410.44 Friday, on what proved to be an all-around great trading session for the stock market, with the NASDAQ Composite Index rising 1.77% to 19,621.68 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rising 0.