An unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile will be launched Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base to test the weapon’s effectiveness, accuracy and readiness, according to the Air Force Global Strike Command. The Minuteman III missile test launch will occur between 12:01 and 6:01 a.m. from the north end of the base near Lompoc, according to Vandenberg’s 30th Space Wing. The 576th Flight Test Squadron, which will help oversee the operational test launch, is responsible for telemetry, tracking and command destruct systems on the missile. The Vandenberg test would be the second missile launched from the base this year. The other launch was conducted by the strike command’s team from the 91st Missile wing at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota in February.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 25, 2017 17:07 UTC