SpaceX Falcon Heavy blasts off successfully but loses center core

Kennedy Space Center, Fla. — The third launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket started off spectacular.

The rocket blasted off at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday carrying 24 satellites into orbit.

[ Kennedy Space Center sending this tweet at lift-off.  ]

This was the first time SpaceX reused two if it's Falcon Heavy booster rockets, marking a major milestone for the company.

Both of the used rockets fired, returned, and successfully touched down back on Earth about nine minutes after launch in a synchronized landing in the dark.

The landing came after a magnificent interaction of gases in the atmosphere as the boosters separated and made their way back to Earth.

But the historic launch which Elon Musk called “One of the most challenging launches ever” did have a big problem.

The center core engine detached about a minute after the boosters and was  supposed to land on the drone ship Of Course I Still Love You.

The ship was stationed about a few hundred miles off the Florida coast in the Atlantic Ocean, twice as far as in previous launches.

It failed to land on it mark, just missing the ship and exploded as it hit the ocean.

Keep in mind, this is the second core booster lost by SpaceX this year.

The first was lost at sea on its return to port back after the Arabsat-6A mission in April.

This means the new one,  that is no doubt being built, will be the only center core available until SpaceX can catch up.

Future Falcon Heavy launches may be impacted.

In the meantime, the primary mission of today’s launch is being hailed as a success.

The launch of several satellite payloads from universities and other science institutions is already underway.

Watch the entire launch below.

[ App users watch the entire launch here. ]