New York (CNN Business) SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, the most powerful vehicle flying today, just launched its first-ever mission for a paying customer. It was also the first time SpaceX managed to land all three rocket boosters after launch.

The rocket took off Thursday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida just after 6 pm ET. It delivered a pricey communications satellite into orbit for Saudi Arabia-based firm Arabsat.

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 has twice the power and costs about one third as much as United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy.

Reusable hardware is part of Falcon Heavy's appeal. The boosters are guided back to Earth so they can be refurbished and used again. SpaceX says it can drastically reduce the cost of spaceflight.

During Falcon Heavy's widely watched debut flight in February 2018, in which it launched CEO Elon Musk's own Tesla Roadster into orbit, only the two side boosters were recovered.

Read More</s>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.

'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 launch later that day.

It’s been fourteen months since Falcon Heavy's 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.

Because of this, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk said they were being ‘extra cautious,’ and previously noted that the schedule could shift.

After its first launch last February, SpaceX managed to successfully land the two side boosters back on Earth in a remarkable, synchronized feat.

The center core, however, missed its mark and crashed into the ocean.

But this time around, all went according to plan.

The current iteration of Falcon Heavy is even more powerful than the first, with a maximum thrust of 2,550 tons, according to Musk – or about 10 percent higher than last year’s demo.

Falcon Heavy launched for the first time last year, on February 6 following roughly five years of setbacks.

The rocket boasts three reusable cores, each containing nine Merlin engines for a whopping total of 27.

This gave it a total thrust of 2,500 tons – or the equivalent of 18 Boeing 747 aircraft at full throttle.

While it isn’t more powerful than NASA’s Saturn V rocket, which took its last flight in 1973, SpaceX’s heavy-lift rocket is the most powerful currently in operation.</s>Miami, USA, Apr 11 (EFE).- The powerful Falcon Heavy rocket, by US company SpaceX, took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Thursday and successfully completed its first commercial mission by deploying the communications satellite Arabsat-6A into an geosynchronous orbit.



The most powerful operational rocket on the planet took off at 6.35 pm local time (22.35 GMT) from the historic 39A launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center, the same platform that the Moon missions of the Apollo program were launched from, and then managed to recover for the first time the three Falcon 9 rocket parts that make up the device.

Less than eight minutes after takeoff, the two boosters landed side by side on Cape Canaveral US Air Force station, while the central core stage landed itself one minute later on the drone ship called “Of Course I Still Love You” in the Atlantic Ocean.

This successful landing of the three rocket parts represents a new step in the trajectory of the company, owned by tycoon Elon Musk, whose policy is to reuse rockets in order to reduce the cost of space travel.



Thursday’s launch, which had to be postponed from the day before due to weather conditions, is the second since the initial trip in Feb. 2018, when Falcon Heavy made a test flight with as dummy payload a Tesla electric roadster sent into deep space with a mannequin dressed in a space suit, which they called ‘Starman’, in the driver’s seat.



On that first voyage, however, the core stage failed to land on the Atlantic landing platform and instead plunged into the sea at a speed of more than 480 kilometers per hour.



More than a year later, SpaceX has now launched the 70-meter-high Falcon Heavy, designed to carry more than 64 metric tonnes of cargo, with the Arabsat-6A on board. The Arabsat 6A is a modern communications satellite developed by Lockheed Martin for Arabsat, an organization founded by the Arab League in 1976 to provide telecommunications services to the region.



The modern and innovative satellite, weighing more than 5,900 kilograms, will provide television, radio, internet and mobile communication services throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa, according to SpaceX.



Nearly half an hour after taking off from Cape Canaveral aboard the Falcon Heavy, the satellite separated from the rocket and was placed in a geosynchronous orbit where it will remain for years.



With this deployment the Falcon Heavy, created with the goal of sending manned missions to the Moon and Mars, has successfully completed its first commercial mission.</s>SpaceX launched its first commercial mission Thursday featuring its Falcon Heavy rocket and accomplished something they've never done before.

The Falcon Heavy is currently the world's most powerful rocket and is carrying a communications satellite into space.

After liftoff, SpaceX successfully landed two side-boosters back at Cape Canaveral and the rocket's core on a droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. It was the first time all three landed successfully.

During last year's test flight, the side-boosters landed, but the rocket's core missed its mark.

SpaceX chief Elon Musk celebrated the news on twitter, declaring the "Falcons have landed."

The Falcon Heavy was poised to blast off Wednesday night, but SpaceX chief Elon Musk said upper-level wind shear was extremely high.

Last year's Falcon Heavy test flight put a sports car — Musk's own Tesla convertible — into space.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Falcon Heavy SpaceX rocket sits on pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., after the launch was scrubbed Wednesday, April 10, 2019.</s>The powerful Falcon Heavy rocket, by US company SpaceX, took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, Thursday and successfully completed its first commercial mission by deploying the communications satellite Arabsat-6A into an geosynchronous orbit.

The most powerful operational rocket on the planet took off at 6.35 pm local time (22.35 GMT) from the historic 39A launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center, the same platform that the Moon missions of the Apollo program were launched from, and then managed to recover for the first time the three Falcon 9 rocket parts that make up the device.</s>SpaceX launched its second supersized rocket and for the first time landed all three boosters Thursday, a year after sending up a sports car on the initial test flight.

The new and improved Falcon Heavy thundered into the early evening sky with a communication satellite called Arabsat, the rocket's first paying customer. The Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket in use today, with 27 engines firing at liftoff — nine per booster.

Eight minutes after liftoff, SpaceX landed two of the first-stage boosters back at Cape Canaveral, side by side, just like it did for the rocket's debut last year. The core booster landed two minutes later on an ocean platform hundreds of miles offshore. That's the only part of the first mission that missed.

"What an amazing day," a SpaceX flight commentator exclaimed. "Three for three boosters today on Falcon Heavy, what an amazing accomplishment."

The Falcon Heavy soared from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, using the same pad that shot Apollo astronauts to the moon a half-century ago and later space shuttle crews.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying a communication satellite lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, April 11, 2019. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Nearby beaches and other prime viewing spots were packed with tourists and locals eager to catch not just the launch but the rare and dramatic return of twin boosters, accompanied by sonic booms. The roads were also jammed for Wednesday night's launch attempt, which was scuttled by high wind.

Because this was an upgraded version of the rocket with unproven changes, SpaceX chief Elon Musk cautioned in advance things might go wrong. But everything went exceedingly well and the satellite ended up in the proper orbit. SpaceX employees at company headquarters in Southern California cheered every launch milestone and especially the three touchdowns.

Eight minutes after liftoff, SpaceX lands two of the first-stage boosters side by side at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, April 11, 2019. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

"The Falcons have landed," Musk said in a tweet that included pictures of all three boosters.

NASA offered swift congratulations. "From our iconic launch pads at @NASAKennedy, we will continue to support the growing commercial space economy," NASA tweeted. Musk replied with three red hearts.

Musk put his own Tesla convertible on last year's demo. The red Roadster — with a mannequin, dubbed Starman, likely still at the wheel — remains in a solar orbit stretching just past Mars.

The Roadster is thought to be on the other side of the sun from us right now, about three-quarters of the way around its first solar orbit, said Jon Giorgini, a senior analyst at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

A couple dozen ground telescopes kept tabs on the car during its first several days in space, but it gradually faded from view as it headed out toward the orbit of Mars, Giorgini noted.

The Roadster could still look much the same as it did for the Feb. 6, 2018, launch, just not as shiny with perhaps some chips and flakes from the extreme temperature swings, according to Giorgini. It will take decades if not centuries for solar radiation to cause it to decompose, he said.

SpaceX plans to launch its next Falcon Heavy later this year on a mission for the U.S. Air Force. The boosters for that flight may be recycled from this one.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine last month suggested possibly using a Falcon Heavy — and another company's big rocket — to get the space agency's Orion capsule around the moon, minus a crew, in 2020. But the preferred method remains NASA's own Space Launch System mega rocket — if it can be ready by then.

Bridenstine said everything is on the space table as NASA strives to meet the White House's goal of landing astronauts back on the moon by 2024.

NASA's Saturn V rockets, used for the Apollo moon shots, are the all-time launch leaders so far in size and might.

SpaceX typically launches Falcon 9 rockets. The Falcon Heavy is essentially three of those single rockets strapped together.

Until SpaceX came along, boosters were discarded in the ocean after satellite launches. The company is intent on driving down launch costs by recycling rocket parts.</s>This afternoon, SpaceX’s most powerful rocket — which is also the most powerful rocket in the world at the moment — will take its second flight to space from Florida more than a year after its famous debut mission. It will be the Falcon Heavy’s very first customer launch, sending a communications satellite for Saudi Arabia to a high orbit above Earth. All three cores of the rocket will attempt to land back on Earth after takeoff.

The mission will mark the beginning of commercial operations for the Falcon Heavy, the upgraded version of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The vehicle consists of three Falcon 9 cores that are strapped together and are capable of providing more than 5 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. That allows the Falcon Heavy to put more than 140,000 pounds of cargo into low Earth orbit. The second most powerful rocket in the US — the Delta IV Heavy — can send more than 63,000 pounds to the same location.

the Falcon Heavy hasn’t seen any action since its first dramatic launch

While powerful, the Falcon Heavy hasn’t seen any action since its first dramatic launch on February 6th, 2018. For that flight, SpaceX launched CEO Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster into space, putting the Roadster on a distant path around the Sun that crosses the orbit of Mars. After launch, SpaceX was able to land the Falcon Heavy’s two outer boosters nearly simultaneously on two of the company’s landing pads. The center core, however, failed to stick its landing on a drone ship at sea.

When the Falcon Heavy first launched, it had very few commercial customers. But since the inaugural flight, SpaceX has added a few more customers to the Falcon Heavy’s manifest, including telecommunications company Viasat, along with a few additional launches from the US Air Force. Another successful flight today could help attract more.

The Falcon Heavy has caught the attention of lawmakers and officials at NASA

Though the Falcon Heavy hasn’t flown frequently, the fact that it has launched at all has caught the attention of lawmakers and officials at NASA who recently considered changes to the space agency’s long-term exploration plans. On March 13th, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine told lawmakers at a Senate hearing that the agency was mulling over the idea of using a commercial rocket, potentially the Falcon Heavy, to launch an important test flight around the Moon. NASA is currently building its own rocket, the Space Launch System or SLS, to perform that lunar flight, but delays in the vehicle’s development prompted NASA officials to consider currently available rockets for the job. And the Falcon Heavy is the most powerful, operational option.

Ultimately, NASA decided that it would stick with the SLS to perform the mission, but Bridenstine noted that the Falcon Heavy could become a part of NASA’s long-term plans in the future. He even noted that the Falcon Heavy is capable of sending a heavy crew capsule that NASA is building, called Orion, around the Moon with a few big modifications. A lot of work would be needed, but it’s a possible option in the long term, according to Bridenstine. “It could be used in the future if we could get through all of that,” he said at a town hall on April 1st.

In the meantime, SpaceX has lined up a steady stream of launches with the rocket, with the next one scheduled for this summer. Up first is this afternoon’s launch of the Saudi Arabian satellite called Arabsat-6A, and it’s possible SpaceX could nail all three of its rocket landings this time around. A drone ship is already in position in the Atlantic in order to catch the center core of the rocket, while the two outer cores will aim to land on SpaceX’s concrete landing zones on the Florida coast.

Takeoff is scheduled for 6:35PM ET from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. SpaceX has a nearly two-hour launch window, so the company can launch up until 8:32PM ET. Weather is looking good for a launch so far, with an 80 percent chance that conditions will be favorable, according to the 45th Space Wing. SpaceX’s coverage of the flight should begin around 20 minutes before liftoff. Check back then to see if SpaceX can pull off a triple landing this time.</s>In the space travel battle, there’s no margin for error. And when SpaceX launches its Falcon Heavy for the second time on Wednesday, that fact will perhaps be clearer than ever.

Barring unforeseen weather issues or other problems, SpaceX will launch its Falcon Heavy rocket with an onboard Arabsat-6A communications satellite at 6:35 p.m. ET on Wednesday. For Elon Musk’s space transportation company, this is a chance to prove that its most important rocket is capable of helping it fulfill its most important missions.

It will also be SpaceX’s second ever Falcon Heavy launch, and the first time the rocket will be used for commercial purposes. Then, when the ascension is over, it will also be an opportunity for SpaceX to successfully land the Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters and center core back on Earth—something that evaded the first launch after the core missed its target.

Launching and landing a rocket aside, the Falcon Heavy event represents several make-or-break matters for SpaceX. Here are the three biggest reasons why this launch will be the company’s most critical mission yet:

Its Falcon Heavy’s audition to be a money-maker

The stakes were high when the Falcon Heavy lifted off for the first time in February 2018. The Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket in the world, a necessity for bringing payloads to space successfully.

At the time of its launch, SpaceX chief Elon Musk said he wasn’t sure how the start would go or whether it would be successful. All eyes were on the sky. Luckily for Musk and SpaceX, almost everything went off without a hitch.

The Falcon Heavy took off, brought a Tesla to space, and despite the core stage missing its target on its way back to Earth, the mission was a success. Soon after, lucrative government contracts rushed to SpaceX.

However, in the space game, you’re only as good as your last launch. Moreover, thanks to the Arabsat-6A, which will be used to beam communications services to the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, this is the first time that SpaceX will have Falcon Heavy’s commercial chops on display.

If the launch goes well, there’s a good chance other companies and governments will be lining up to hitch a ride on a future Falcon Heavy launch. If the launch goes poorly, it could be a significant setback to SpaceX’s fledgling Falcon Heavy business.

The issue with traditional rocket launches is that they’re very costly. That’s due in large part to their lack of reusable components.

SpaceX has built its business around reusing the boosters and center core that help to propel the Falcon Heavy into space. The boosters and the core go up with Falcon Heavy but float back down to Earth at specific points during the launch. The components are supposed to land intact to be reused in future launches, in order to keep costs down.

And keep costs down the parts do.

According to Space.com, Falcon Heavy flights cost SpaceX customers between $90 million and $150 million. Falcon Heavy’s closest competitor, the United Launch Alliance’s Delta IV Heavy rocket, costs $350 million, according to CEO Tony Bruno.

Pricing for space transport on Falcon Heavy are in part predicated on successfully landing reusable components. Now, all eyes will be on Wednesday’s launch to see if SpaceX can successfully land those boosters and core—and prove its business model.

If successful, Falcon Heavy could take SpaceX to Mars

As lovely as government contracts might be, SpaceX’s ultimate goal is Mars. The company hopes to get there on the back of the Falcon Heavy. But before that can happen, plenty more work needs to be done. Most importantly, SpaceX needs to have more successful launches.

Any glitch in the Falcon Heavy’s track record could cause a wrinkle in SpaceX’s Mars plans. Also, depending on how big of a hiccup Falcon heavy potentially suffers, it could call into question whether a human flight to Mars is even possible.

None of this means you shouldn’t bet on SpaceX. The company did not respond to ‘s request for comment, but the truth is it has been successful at exceeding expectations at nearly every stage. The stakes are high and the risks great. A single misstep could be a problem for SpaceX. Then again, that’s no different from every other launch.</s>HAWTHORNE — Hawthorne-based SpaceX will try again Thursday to make the first commercial launch of its Falcon Heavy, billed as the most powerful rocket ever assembled.

The Arabsat-6A mission from Cape Canaveral in Florida was originally scheduled for Tuesday, then pushed to Wednesday due to bad weather. On Wednesday, the launch was first delayed by 90 minutes due to upper-level winds, then scrubbed altogether when the windy conditions persisted.

When the rocket launches, it will be the second flight for Falcon Heavy. The massive rocket, which is actually an array of three rockets, made its debut in February 2018 when it launched a cherry-red Tesla roadster with a “Starman” space-suited driver propped behind the wheel on a test mission.

The next launch, however, will be the first commercial use of the Falcon Heavy. The rocket is scheduled to carry the 13,200-pound Arabsat-6A satellite into orbit, providing communications services to areas of Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

The 230-feet-tall, 27-engine Falcon Heavy is essentially triple the size of SpaceX’s traditional Falcon 9 rockets. According SpaceX, the liftoff thrust of Falcon Heavy is roughly equivalent to 18 full-powered 747 jetliners.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk has called Falcon Heavy “the most powerful rocket in the world by a factor of two and the highest payload launch vehicle to reach orbit after the Saturn V moon rocket.”

The Falcon Heavy includes a massive center rocket booster, coupled with two side rocket boosters. The most visually spectacular part of last year’s Falcon Heavy mission occurred when SpaceX successfully landed the two Falcon 9 side rockets simultaneously back on land at Cape Canaveral following the launch. The company attempted, but failed, to recover the center booster rocket on a barge floating in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX has become known for recovering its rockets for reuse in future missions. The company will again attempt to recover all three of the rockets in the array on Thursday — two on land and one at sea.</s>SpaceX launched its first commercial mission Thursday featuring its Falcon Heavy rocket.

The Falcon Heavy is currently the world's most powerful rocket and will be carrying a communications satellite into space.

After liftoff, SpaceX will try to land two side-boosters back at Cape Canaveral and the rocket's core on a droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. During last year's test flight, the side-boosters successfully landed, but the rocket's core missed its mark.

The Falcon Heavy was poised to blast off Wednesday night, but SpaceX chief Elon Musk said upper-level wind shear was extremely high.

Last year's Falcon Heavy test flight put a sports car — Musk's own Tesla convertible — into space.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A Falcon Heavy SpaceX rocket sits on pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., after the launch was scrubbed Wednesday, April 10, 2019.
SpaceX's Falcon Heavy launches successfully from Kennedy Space Center carrying Arabsat-6A to orbit. All three boosters landed successfully, marking the first time that all three boosters of a Falcon Heavy landed without failure.