Live coverage: SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches NASA’s Psyche on mission to a metal asteroid

SpaceX test-fired its next Falcon 9 rocket at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Saturday in preparation for the company’s 17th launch of the year, a mission tentatively set for liftoff Wednesday with a secretive payload named Zuma for the U.S. government.

Bill Gerstenmaier, former director of spaceflight at NASA Headquarters and a widely respected aerospace engineer and manager, has taken a consulting position at SpaceX, the California rocket company NASA helped save in 2008 with the award of a $1.6 billion contract to build and launch space station cargo ships.

SpaceX will be aiming to complete its 440th successful booster landing with this mission, using a Falcon 9 first stage booster flying for an 18th time. Liftoff from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is targeting 9:51 p.m. EDT (0151 UTC).