It's been a strong week on Wall Street, as investors overcame lingering concerns from the Federal Reserve and have gained confidence in the economy's ability to withstand considerable pressures. After big gains earlier in the week, stock index futures showed another likely advance at the beginning of trading Friday morning.

A broader array of stocks are now participating in the rally, and at the luxury end of the consumer spectrum, Virgin Galactic (NYSE: SPCE) got a boost as it now appears ready to begin its commercial space flight schedule. Meanwhile, given how much attention more advanced artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have gotten lately, the much more down-to-earth applications that iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT) helped pioneer might seem quaint, but shareholders got good news that sent the stock price higher. Read on to see more about what's happening with these two companies.

Shares of Virgin Galactic were up more than 40% in premarket trading on Friday. The space flight company has given investors and customers a long wait, but it now appears that it will open the doors and start its schedule of commercial operations within the next two weeks.

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Source Fool.com