National News
Unarmed ND Minuteman missile launched in Calif.
Posted: Jun 22, 2011 9:18 AM by Lauren Wilson & AP
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) - An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile has been launched from California on a 4,200-mile test run to a Pacific Ocean atoll.
The 30th Space Wing says the missile blasted out of an
underground silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base at about 6:37 a.m. Wednesday. There are no other details until the mission is complete.
The missile is expected to travel some 4,200 miles and its lone re-entry vehicle is supposed to hit a target in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific's Marshall Islands chain. It's about a half-hour flight.
The military says the weapon was pulled from its silo near Minot Air Force Base, N.D., for the test.
Vandenberg regularly tests ICBMs to collect data on the weapons' accuracy and reliability.
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