The launch of an unarmed Minuteman III missile at Vandenberg Air Force Base did not occur Wednesday after a “ground abort” kept the weapon from its departure.
“The cause of the ground abort is currently under investigation, and Air Force Global Strike Command is assessing the potential to reschedule the launch,” military officials said.
“The Air Force adheres to strict protocols while performing operational test launches, only launching when all safety parameters with the test range and missile are met.”
The military had planned to launch the Minuteman intercontinental ballistic weapon between 12:15 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. Wednesday.
“During terminal countdown, the missile computer detected a fault in the sequence of checks it does prior to launching. Upon detection of this fault, it shut itself down,” Carla Pampe from AFGSC Public Affairs told Noozhawk. “The missile did exactly what it was designed to do.”
She added that Global Strike Command did not intend to reschedule the launch.
After liftoff, the military tracks the weapon’s to collect data about the system’s accuracy and reliability while flying to a pre-determined target, typically near the Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean some 4,200 miles southwest of the Central Coast.
The three-stage boosters launch from underground silos on the northern section of the base.
The launch vehicle was not damaged in the incident, officials said.
Later Wednesday, officials said a Launch Analysis Group was being formed to investigated the circumstances that led to the aborted test.
Vandenberg hosts three or four Minuteman III missile tests each year for a program officials say helps evaluate the weapon system and gather data to keep it effective.
In addition to missile operations and maintenance crews from bases with Minuteman weapons on alert, test launch preparations include members of the 576th Flight Test Squadron located at Vandenberg.
The Air Force has 400 Minuteman III weapons sitting on alert near Malmstrom AFB, Montana; Minot AFB, North Dakota, and F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming.
The weapon system first went on alert in 1970, but various components have been modernized since then.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
