SpaceX launches its Falcon Heavy rocket for the second time as it lands THREE ...

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket successfully took its second flight ever on Thursday afternoon, when it lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying Lockheed Martin's Arabsat 6A communications satellite. 

As if that weren't exciting enough, SpaceX also managed to make history by landing three boosters back on Earth for the first time.

Just minutes into the launch, the giant rocket's central core landed safely on SpaceX's offshore barge in the Atlantic Ocean, dubbed 'Of Course I Still Love You,' while the two side boosters landed back on pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Landing Zone 1 and 2. 

'We have landed the center core for the first time,' a SpaceX announcer said. 'Three for three boosters today for the Falcon Heavy.' 

The megarocket took off in a cloud of smoke and fire at 6:35 p.m. (ET) carrying the high-capacity communications satellite, marking its first commercial mission. 

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SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket successfully took its second flight ever on Thursday afternoon, when it lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying Lockheed Martin's Arabsat 6A communications satellite

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket successfully took its second flight ever on Thursday afternoon, when it lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying Lockheed Martin's Arabsat 6A communications satellite

FALCON HEAVY: SPECS

Height: 70 meters (229.6 feet)

Stages: Two

Boosters: Two

Re-usable Cores: Three

Engines: 27

Payload to LEO: 63,800kg (140,660 lb)

Payload to Mars: 16,800kg (37,040 lb)

Total width: 12.2m (39.9 ft)

Mass: 1,420,788kg (3,125,735 lb)

Total thrust at lift-off: 22,819 kilonewtons (5.13 million pounds)

'Falcon Heavy is headed to space,' a SpaceX announcer confirmed on the livestream shortly after lift-off. 'Vehicle is supersonic.' 

In a smooth launch and flight that lasted just a matter of minutes, Falcon Heavy successfully carried its first commercial payload to space.

The firm confirmed its accomplishment roughly 30 minutes after takeoff, revealing the Arabsat-6A satellite made it where it needed to go.

'Successful deployment of Arabsat-6A to geosynchronous transfer orbit confirmed—completing Falcon Heavy’s first commercial mission!,' SpaceX tweeted. 

SpaceX was forced to push back the Falcon Heavy launch several times due to uncooperative weather. 

A last-minute decision to delay it yet again on Wednesday night was made because of high upper-level winds and a poor forecast that made for unsafe launch conditions.

But, Elon Musk's rocket company confirmed in a tweet at 4:46 p.m. Thursday that 'all systems and weather are currently go,' for tonight's launch. 

It’s been fourteen months since its maiden launch, when it blasted off to become the most powerful rocket in use today. 

The latest launch marked the first time Falcon Heavy flies using the new Block 5 hardware, which is designed to last longer than previous versions without the need for refurbishment. 

The giant rocket's central core landed safely on SpaceX's offshore barge in the Atlantic Ocean, dubbed 'Of Course I Still Love You,' while the two side boosters landed back on pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Landing Zone 1 and 2

The giant rocket's central core landed safely on SpaceX's offshore barge in the Atlantic Ocean, dubbed 'Of Course I Still Love You,' while the two side

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