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KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. --SpaceX launched the Space Test Program 2 (STP-2) mission on Tuesday, June 25 atop one of the company's massive Falcon Heavy rockets from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission got underway at 2:30 p.m. EDT (06:30 GMT). The first of three satellite deployments began about 12 minutes after liftoff with the last taking place about 3 hours and 32 minutes after the rocket had left the pad. As is the case with most Falcon flights, the first stage's boosters were used before. The STP-2 Falcon Heavy’s side boosters were used on the Arabsat-6A mission in April of 2019. With their role complete, these two boosters touched down at SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Falcon Heavy’s center core attempted to land on the deck of the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, which was positioned out in the Atlantic Ocean, but it failed to do so. Photos courtesy of Mike Howard, Scott Schilke
