Video: watch SpaceX land all three Falcon Heavy rocket boosters
Aerospace firm finally launches its most powerful rocket yet after series of setbacks

SpaceX has successfully carried out the first commercial launch of its most powerful rocket to date, following several setbacks earlier this week due to poor weather conditions.
The Falcon Heavy rocket lifted off from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center at 6.35pm (22.35pm UK time) yesterday, says space.com.
Minutes after blasting off, two of the rocket’s three boosters returned to Earth and landed vertically back at the space port, the website says.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The third booster, which has further to travel, touched down on the company’s autonomous floating landing pad called “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Atlantic two minutes later, says ITV.
It’s the first time SpaceX has successfully recovered all three stages of Falcon Heavy’s boosters. During the rocket’s test flight last year, the company was able to land the first two stages but failed to recover the final booster.
Yesterday’s mission marked Falcon Heavy’s second flight and its first commercial mission.
The rocket was used to carry Arabsat-6A, a Saudi Arabian communications satellite, into orbit some 22,236 miles above Earth, reports space news site nasaspaceflight.com.
Built by US aerospace firm Lockheed Martin, the six-tonne satellite will provide phone, internet and television coverage across “parts of the Middle East, Africa, and Europe”, the website adds.
SpaceX plans to reuse the three boosters recovered during yesterday’s mission to send Falcon Heavy back into space again later this year.
British communications firm Inmarsat will use the rocket to deploy one of its satellites into orbit, although an official launch date has yet to be announced.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Nepal wants to see the return of the king
Under the Radar Frustration is growing with 'corrupt' and impoverished republic, and many pin their hopes on Gyanendra – who gave up the throne 17 years ago
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - March 16, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - head games, skyfall, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about Musk's faulty spacecrafts
Cartoons Artists take on trading up, blowing up, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Musk vs. Altman: The fight over OpenAI
Feature Elon Musk has launched a $97.4 billion takeover bid for OpenAI
By The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk's DOGE website has gotten off to a bad start
In the Spotlight The site was reportedly able to be edited by anyone when it first came online
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What Trump's 'tech bros' want
The Explainer Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos had 'prime seats' at the president's inauguration. What are they looking to gain from Trump 2.0?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and the billionaire space race
The Explainer Tesla CEO and Amazon founder vie for dominance of satellite launch market and could influence Nasa plans to return to Moon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
David Sacks: the conservative investor who will be Trump's crypto and AI czar
In the Spotlight Trump appoints another wealthy ally to oversee two growing — and controversial — industries
By David Faris Published
-
Judge rejects Elon Musk's $56B pay package again
Speed Read Judge Kathaleen McCormick upheld her rejection of the Tesla CEO's unprecedented compensation deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Bluesky: the social media platform causing a mass X-odus
The Explainer Social media platform is enjoying a new influx but can it usurp big rivals?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
What Trump's win could mean for Big Tech
Talking Points The tech industry is bracing itself for Trump's second administration
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published