CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla._The SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch Tuesday afternoon sent a Tesla automobile toward Mars via a next-generation, heavy-lift rocket toward space from Florida's Space Coast.
The rocket's success could well touch off a heated competition for large-payload launch contracts among rivals.
Two of the craft's rocket boosters landed successfully at Cape Canaveral, side by side. The fate of the third is unknown after an attempt to land it on a barge at sea.
The payload was deployed successfully, according to a post on Twitter from SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk about 45 minutes after liftoff: "Upper stage restart nominal, apogee raised to 7000 km. Will spend 5 hours getting zapped in Van Allen belts & then attempt final burn for Mars."
Many people who watched said they were thrilled so see history being made.
"This is America, this is who we are. It just made history," said Aida Hart of Enterprise, watching from her sister-in-law's lawn.
She whooped with excitement as cheers erupted up and down Riverside Drive next to the Indian River at liftoff, as the boosters separated and as they returned to the spaceport like falling torches.
A few doors down, Heather Loyd had left work to watch with her children and neighbors, on her front lawn.
"It's awesome to live in a place where you can see history. It's great to see so many people out watching," Loyd said.
At 3:45 p.m., about 2 hours and 15 minutes after had been originally planned, a launch announcer uttered the words: "Go Falcon Heavy," as the craft left Launch Pad 39A. The Falcon Heavy's three rocket boosters fired up and headed into the sky.
A huge smoke plume and a loud rumble filled the area.
About one minute after launch, reports showed that the vehicles had performed nominally, with SpaceX employees erupting into one of several cheers during the afternoon.
The Falcon Heavy's side boosters separated from the main rocket about two minutes after launch and started their descent back to Earth. Three minutes in, the SpaceX announcer screamed: "Successful separation!" The song "Life on Mars?" by David Bowie played in the office, a nod to the passenger in the Tesla roadster that was packed into the rocket and named Starman.
And the company stuck the landing for two rockets that came down in unison on the coast.
More than two minutes into flight, the vehicle's two side boosters successfully detached from the center core, which continued flying toward space.
Minutes later, the payload capsule separated from the center-core booster, which headed toward a drone for a sea landing.
Cameras aboard the boosters tracked their progress. Two landed safely at Cape Canaveral about 8 minutes after launch.
That left the central booster approaching a drone barge in the ocean for its landing at sea. SpaceX has yet to comment on the outcome of that landing attempt.
