An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile configured with a joint test assembly launched from North Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Aug. 23 at 9:01 a.m.
The launch is an operational test to determine the weapon system’s reliability and accuracy.
The missile carried one unarmed re-entry vehicle approximately 4,190 miles at speeds in excess of 15,000 mph to a pre-determined target near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
Col. Steven Winters, the 30th Space Wing vice commander, was the mission’s launch decision authority. Col. Carl T. DeKemper, the 576th Flight Test Squadron commander, was the mission director for this test launch.
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