SpaceX launched the company’s Falcon Heavy rocket on its inaugural commercial mission on Thursday evening at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was the first time SpaceX managed to land all three rocket boosters after launch.
For the first time ever, all three Falcon Heavy rocket boosters returned to Earth after launch. The two side-boosters landed simultaneously on ground pads in Florida, while the center core landed on a remote-controlled platform in the ocean a short time later.
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy side boosters nails rocket landing#SpaceX #FalconHeavyLanding pic.twitter.com/Yfp9TOtLde
— Newsd (@GetNewsd) April 12, 2019
Originally planned to liftoff last Sunday, the Falcon Heavy’s first commercial launch was thrice delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions before it finally left launchpad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center today.
This rocket is by far the most powerful operational launch vehicle in the world. And with a sticker price of $90 million, it is also about a third of the price of its closest competitor, United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy.
