Unarmed Missile Launched From Vandenberg
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE (CBSLA/AP) – An unarmed ballistic missile was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc late Tuesday night.
The unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was launched at 11:01 p.m.
The command says the missile's re-entry vehicle reached its intended target but details about the test can't be released. The 30th Space Wing says the test happens multiple times a year and is not related to any real world events.
The Air Force tests Minuteman missiles by launching them from California to a target in the Pacific Ocean.
In July, a missile was intentionally destroyed over the Pacific due to an unspecified in-flight anomaly.
The Air Force Global Strike Command is located at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
On Oct. 7, SpaceX launched an Argentinian satellite into orbit from Vandenberg aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. About 30 minutes later, the first stage booster was sent back to the base, the first time the company has landed this type of rocket on the West Coast. They had previously touched down in Florida.
On Sept. 15, a Delta 2 rocket was launched for the 155th and final time ever from Vandenberg, carrying a $1 billion NASA satellite into orbit that will be used to measure climate change.
And in May, NASA famously launched the Mars-bound Atlas 5 Rocket. It was carrying the InSight, the eighth lander NASA has sent to Mars.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
