Delayed a day by weather conditions 4,200 miles away, an unarmed Minuteman III missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base early Thursday.
Air Force Global Strike Command officials said the intercontinental ballistic missile blasted off at 12:27 a.m. from an underground silo on the base. The launch was a test that enables the military to evaluate the effectiveness, readiness and accuracy of the U.S. missile fleet.
“The ICBM test launch program demonstrates our nation’s nuclear deterrence forces are safe, secure, effective and ready to defend the United States, and Vandenberg plays an integral part in providing the capabilities necessary to meet those test objectives,” said Ron Cortopassi, executive director of the 30th Space Wing, the launch decision authority at VAFB.
“Even in times of global pandemic, our airmen are able to provide the range support required to safely test an ICBM launch.”
This mission marked the first time a civilian provided the final “go” for launch from the base, Vandenberg officials said.
The test launch initially was planned for early Wednesday, but military officials postponed the operation because of adverse weather conditions at the target area in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, some 4,200 miles southwest of the Central Coast.
This was third Minuteman missile test since August from VAFB.
“We have had a busy test launch schedule the last few months, and our team has worked very hard to successfully execute each mission,” said Col. Omar Colbert, commander of the 576th Flight Test Squadron.
“Today’s launch sends a visible message of deterrence to the world, and I couldn’t be more proud of the dedication and professionalism of our team.”
Members of the 576th Flight Test Squadron, which is based at Vandenberg, helped prep the weapon for launch.
The missile was randomly selected from the Air Force Global Strike Command fleet at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. A task force of personnel from all three AFGSC missile wings supported the launch.
(Jan Jones / U.S. Air Force video)
“This test took a missile and an incredible team of maintainers and launch crews, all pulled from active missile wings, and that really demonstrates the continued readiness and reliability of both the Minuteman III and the professional men and women who support it,” said Lt. Col. Brock Sargent, task force commander.
“Together we make up a weapon system that stands on continuous alert, defending the United States and our allies 24/7, just as we have for the last 50 years.”
Test launches like the one that occurred Thursday are scheduled years ahead of time with work for a specific mission starting months before liftoff. The test launches are not related to any real world events or regional tensions, according to Air Force officials.
Thursday’s launch was the first of two planned in two weeks from Vandenberg. On Nov. 10, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to carry a NASA ocean-observing satellite, Sentinel-6, into space. The Space Exploration Technologies rocket also reportedly will return its first-stage booster to a landing site at the base, VAFB officials said earlier this year.
— Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen can be reached at wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
