I watched SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket thunder into space for the first time — here's what it was like on the ground

There is nothing like seeing a rocket launch toward space in person, and the first flight of SpaceX's three-booster Falcon Heavy system was no exception.

As a space reporter, I've see a handful of space shuttles and a Mars robot leave Earth, but Falcon Heavy's maiden flight blew them all away.

SpaceX gave me access to cover its demonstration mission, which successfully launched company founder Elon Musk's red Tesla Roadster toward Mars with a spacesuit-clad "Starman" dummy and three cameras inside.

Here's what it was like to witness the spectacle of Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center, including a post-launch press conference with Musk.

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Falcon Heavy fever was on display as I drove toward the space center. Some people were camping out on a causeway with good visibility of the launch pad more than a day ahead.

Just outside the gates, I drove past this massive building: a 750,000-square-foot factory to build reusable rockets for Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos.

Blue Origin is likely to become a major competitor of SpaceX. I asked for permission to peek inside, but Blue Origin representatives declined.

I arrived in time to catch a ride to see Falcon Heavy on its launchpad. But NASA takes launchpad security very seriously — everyone who wanted to go had to set their gear on the pavement, take 10 steps back, and let a police dog sniff for weapons and explosives.