Live coverage: Falcon 9 disintegrates after launch

A prototype rocket for a massive reusable vehicle SpaceX is designing to fly people to the moon and Mars took off from a launching stand in South Texas on Tuesday, flew to a height of roughly 500 feet, then made a controlled descent to a nearby landing pad.

The mission was the 30th orbital launch from Florida in 2024. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 happened at 6:17 p.m. EDT (2217 UTC).

These additional views of the Falcon Heavy’s maiden liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center, and landing of its two side boosters at nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, come from locations across the Florida spaceport.