Video: Saturday’s SpaceX launch

The first official launch weather outlook issued Tuesday by U.S. Air Force meteorologists predicts an 80 percent chance of favorable conditions for the predawn liftoff Saturday of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft on a test flight to the International Space Station.

These photos show the enclosure of the Boeing-built Amos 17 commercial communications satellite, owned by the Tel Aviv-based operator Spacecom Ltd., ahead of liftoff aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral.

Nine Merlin main engines at the base of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fired at launch pad 39A Saturday, passing a major test before the company’s next launch, a secretive mission slated for liftoff Wednesday night.