Video: SpaceX Dragon departs space station

SpaceX’s third Falcon Heavy rocket took off from the Kennedy Space Center in a predawn launch Tuesday, delivering two dozen research and weather observation spacecraft into orbit on a marathon three-and-a-half mission for the U.S. Air Force. The mission included the successful landing of the Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters back at Cape Canaveral, and a SpaceX recovery boat netted part of the rocket’s payload fairing for the first time.

Redesigned titanium steering fins will fly aboard a Falcon 9 rocket launching Sunday from California, part of upgrades SpaceX says will ease the reuse of future boosters.

SpaceX landed its 460th booster in the midst of the Starlink 12-24 mission. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station occurred at 9:05 a.m. EDT (1305 UTC).