Watch Falcon Heavy's side boosters separate during NROL-97 launch

Falcon Heavy's two side boosters separated about 2 minutes 27 seconds after liftoff on the NROL-97 mission, launched from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 11:54 p.m. ET on October 1, 2026. It was Falcon Heavy's 14th flight and its first mission for the National Reconnaissance Office. Both boosters then returned to Cape Canaveral, landing at Landing Zones 1 and 2. Video Credit: SpaceX