SAEDNEWS: The United States will carry out a test launch of the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, according to a statement on the facility’s website.
An operational test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, managed by the Air Force Global Strike Command, is scheduled from 11:01 p.m. to 5:01 a.m. Pacific Time on November 4, departing from northern Vandenberg, according to a statement.
The document notes that “this test is routine and was scheduled years in advance,” and adds that “the purpose of the ICBM test launch program is to validate and verify the effectiveness, readiness, and accuracy of the weapon system.”
The Minuteman III, part of the Minuteman missile family, was first developed in the late 1960s and has been in service with the U.S. since the 1970s. The missile is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to conduct immediate nuclear weapons tests, citing continued testing by Russia and China. U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright later clarified that these trials would not involve actual detonations, but would focus on testing the components necessary for a nuclear explosion.
