A test launch of a missile from the Central Coast ended with the flight team blowing it up over the Pacific Ocean, because of what they call a mission “anomaly”.
The Air Force launched a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from the base at 11:59 Tuesday night. An Air Force spokesman told KCLU News the flight was terminated seven minutes later, at 12:06 a.m. Wednesday.
The flight team blew up the missile because of what’s described as an “anomaly.” Because it happened seven minutes after liftoff, the missile was well away from the coast, and over the Pacific.
Minuteman III’s are launched from the base several times a year, to test the readiness of the equipment, and launch crews. They carry dummy payloads as they fly more than 4000 miles to a test range in the South Pacific.
The Air Force formed a team to investigate and identify what went wrong with the test flight.
