The rocket system, which represents three Falcon 9 boosters strapped side by side, lifted onto a SpaceX launch pad through thick fog. Two satellites from the US Space Force and a group of smaller satellites headed into orbit.
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The vehicle’s two side boosters separated from the rocket’s main stage in sync about 47 miles (29 km) above the ground, diving backward for a supersonic free fall toward land. Minutes later, the pair of boosters, each about five stories tall, reignited their engines and landed almost simultaneously on adjacent concrete slabs, prompting thunderous applause from engineers inside SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California, a live stream of company. The nuclear booster did not attempt to land and used all of its fuel to launch the satellites further into space. The Falcon Heavy mission was the first since June 2019, with SpaceX having launched more than 100 missions using the Falcon 9 rocket. (Reporting by Joey Roulette in Washington; Editing by Will Dunham)
