SpaceX is set to launch its Starlink 17-42 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base Tuesday night, using a Falcon 9 first stage booster already tied to multiple flights. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:46 p.m. PDT, with the landing attempt planned for the drone shi
When a rocket stands vertical at Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base, the countdown feels physical. On Tuesday night, SpaceX is turning that stillness into another run toward low Earth orbit—this time to deliver 24 more Starlink satellites.
The mission is dubbed Starlink 17-42. Its job is straightforward: add another batch of 24 broadband internet satellites to a constellation that now consists of more than 10,000 spacecraft. More than 600 of those satellites support direct-to-device capabilities.
Liftoff from SLC-4E is scheduled for 7:46 p.m. PDT (10:46 p.m. EDT / 0246 UTC). After leaving the pad, the Falcon 9 will fly on a south-southwesterly trajectory.
SpaceX will launch the mission using the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number B1103. This is its second launch after flying the Starlink 17-35 mission on April 6.
B1103 was previously assigned to the NROL-172 mission, but it was swapped for B1097 prior to launch. SpaceX didn’t offer an explanation for that swap, leaving a gap that only becomes clearer as hardware gets reused and reassigned.
A little more than eight minutes after liftoff, B1103 will target a landing on the drone ship ‘Of Course I Still Love You.’ If the attempt succeeds, it will mark the 197th landing on this vessel and the 612th booster landing to date.
Coverage is set to begin about 30 minutes prior to liftoff.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Vandenberg Space Force Base Starlink 17-42 Starlink satellites broadband internet low Earth orbit B1103 Of Course I Still Love You drone ship SLC-4E