spacetoday.net: Falcon Heavy launches Arabsat-6A

Posted: Sun, Apr 14, 2019, 10:37 AM ET (1437 GMT)
Falcon Heavy launch of Arabsat-6A (SpaceX)

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy launched a communications satellite Thursday, with all three booster cores making successful landings. The Falcon Heavy, on its second launch, lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 pm EDT (2235 GMT). The rocket's upper stage released the Arabsat-6A satellite into a transfer orbit 34 minutes after liftoff. The two side boosters of the rocket made near-simultaneous landings on pads at Cape Canaveral a short distance south of the launch pad, while the central booster landed on a droneship downrange. In an interview, the CEO of Arabsat said the company chose the Falcon Heavy for the launch of the Lockheed Martin-built satellite in order to increase the satellite's in-orbit lifetime by several years.