February 7, 2018: 3:21 AM ET Watch the launch of SpaceX's Falcon Heavy SpaceX has done it again. The pioneering rocket firm just pulled off the unexpected, and carried out what appears to be a seamless first-ever launch of its massive new rocket, called Falcon Heavy. That makes SpaceX, the game-changing company helmed by billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the owner of the world's most powerful operational rocket. Falcon Heavy took flight Tuesday around 3:45 pm ET from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "I'm still trying to absorb everything that happened because it's still kind of surreal to me," Musk told reporters after the launch. Thousands of onlookers in Florida could be heard cheering on the company's livestream, which was viewed by about 3 million people. In the run up to launch, it wasn't at all clear that the rocket would work. "People [came] from all around the world to see what will either be a great rocket launch or the best fireworks display they've ever seen," Musk said in an interview with CNN's Rachel Crane Monday. Related: Falcon Heavy: How it stacks up with other massive rockets