CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- SpaceX plans to launch a new, next generation GPS satellite from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday.

  • SpaceX to launch next-gen GPS satellite for Air Force
  • The satellite will liftoff aboard a Falcon 9 rocket
  • VP Mike Pence to visit Kennedy Space Center to watch
  • AP: Pence may make announcement about US Space Command
  • RELATED: Space Coast launch schedule

The GPS III satellite, nicknamed Vespucci, is set to liftoff from Launch Complex 40 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. 

The satellite will join 31 other GPS satellites already in orbit and is designed to be three times more accurate than current satellites. 

The 26-minute launch window opens at 9:11 a.m. ET. 

Vice President Mike Pence announced last week that he would head to Cape Canaveral to watch the launch, which he called "an important step forward as we seek to secure American leadership in space."

The Associated Press reported Monday that Pence may have an announcement about the U.S. Space Command. The news organization said two unnamed officials said President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order by the end of the year making U.S. Space Command a major military command, and Pence could make the announcement from Kennedy Space Center.

The existing Space Command is separate from the proposed Space Force, which has been proposed as a new military branch. Instead, Space Command would be elevated to the same status as U.S. Cyber Command.