The military conducted a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III missile equipped with two mock warheads late Tuesday night for Vandenberg Space Force Base’s 14th launch of 2026.
But it will be a few more days before Vandenberg’s 15th liftoff of the year after a delay for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch once planned for Wednesday afternoon.
The three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile popped out of an underground silo on North Base at 11:01 p.m. Tuesday, the opening of a six-hour launch window for the mission dubbed Glory Trip 255, or GT 255.
After leaving Vandenberg, the weapon and its two mock warheads or re-entry vehicles traveled to predetermined targets in the Kwajalein Atoll, about 4,200 miles southwest of the Central Coast.
“GT 255 allowed us to assess the performance of individual components of the missile system,” said Lt. Col. Karrie Wray, commander of the 576th Flight Test Squadron. “By continually assessing varying mission profiles, we are able to enhance the performance of the entire ICBM fleet, ensuring the maximum level of readiness for the land-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad.”
Air Force officials noted the test was scheduled years in advance and did not take place in response to any real world situation.
“It is critical to test all aspects of our ICBM force, including our ability to deliver multiple, independently targeted payloads with absolute precision,” said Gen. S.L. Davis, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. “This test validates the intricate synchronization of the weapon system, from the initial launch sequence to the flawless deployment of each reentry vehicle.”
As the Air Force validates the aging Minuteman fleet, work continues to develop the next-generation land-based ICBM which has been dubbed Sentinel.
Vandenberg’s next rocket launch is tentatively set for Saturday, with the Falcon 9 rocket’s liftoff planned between 2:58 and 6:58 a.m. The purpose is a delivery of another set of Starlink satellites.
Until the SpaceX launch delay, Vandenberg had been poised to conduct two separate liftoffs within less than 24 hours.
