SpaceX Launches Powerful Falcon Heavy Rocket

Elon Musk is a very happy (and still very rich) man after SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon Heavy rocket toward Mars -- and it was freakin' awesome to watch!

SpaceX sent up the most powerful U.S. rocket in nearly half a century from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Elon had previously said there's a good chance the Falcon Heavy rocket won't survive liftoff. He's never been happier to be wrong.

The mission goal -- send the payload beyond Mars' orbit.

Musk added, "I hope it makes it far enough away from the pad that it does not cause pad damage." Well, it did, and really cool part -- they also safely landed the reusable booster rockets back on Earth.

The launch test is another step toward colonizing Mars, which is why SpaceX is sending a Tesla Roadster as part of the rocket's test payload. David Bowie's "Space Oddity" was playing on the car's stereo system. Serious style points.

The Falcon Heavy will generate 5M pounds of thrust ... making it the most powerful launch since NASA's Saturn V that had 7.5M pounds of thrust during its Apollo mission.