The United States Air Force Global Strike Command has announced that the test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, was terminated over the Pacific Ocean last night following an unspecified “anomaly.”
Operational test launch of a Minuteman III ICBM from Vandenberg SFB tonight at about 12:01am. pic.twitter.com/rydNeglS42
— Jonathan Murphy (@Murf411_) November 1, 2023
The statement noted that “An anomaly is any unexpected event during the test. Since anomalies may arise from many factors relating to the operational platform itself, or the test equipment, careful analysis is needed to identify the cause.”
1/4 As today's Minuteman III launch seemed to have a peculiar boost phase, I have displayed all the NOTAMs of the last 10 launches on a single map?
(Thanks @planet4589 for keeping a list of the launches, it helped a lot) https://t.co/tFVB8a0rRq pic.twitter.com/sKRMZXYTAs
— M51.4ever (@M51_4ever) November 1, 2023
The Global Strike Command also stated that an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the failure, adding that “The test launch program helps the command evaluate the Minuteman III and gather data to keep the system effective. The command learns lessons from every test launch… to identify and correct any issues with the weapon system to ensure the Minuteman III’s continued reliability and accuracy.”
