Will Robinson-Smith File: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is vertical at Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base ahead of the launch of the Starlink 9-10 mission on Nov. 8, 2024. Image: SpaceX SpaceX is preparing to launch its Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base Tuesday night to send a batch of its Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. The mission, dubbed Starlink 17-42, will add another 24 broadband internet satellites to a constellation of spacecraft that consists of more than 10,000 spacecraft. More than 600 of those satellites support direct-to-device capabilities. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East is scheduled for 7:46 p.m. PDT (10:46 p.m. EDT / 0246 UTC). The rocket will fly on a south-southwesterly trajectory upon leaving the pad. Spaceflight Now will have live coverage beginning about 30 minutes prior to liftoff.  SpaceX will launch the mission using the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number B1103. This will be its second launch after flying the Starlink 17-35 mission on April 6. The booster was previously assigned to the NROL-172 mission, but was swapped for B1097 prior to launch. SpaceX didn’t offer an explanation for the swap. A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1103 will target a landing on the drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’ If successful, this will be the 197th landing on this vessel and the 612th booster landing to date.