Minuteman III Launch 2010 June 30

[EarthlingX]

http://www.vandenberg.af.mil : MINUTEMAN III LAUNCH SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 30

Posted 6/28/2010 Updated 6/28/2010

Release Number: 140610

6/28/2010 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test flight is scheduled to launch from North Vandenberg Wednesday, June 30, between 3:01 a.m. to 9:01 a.m. PDT.

The launch is an operational test to determine the weapon system's reliability and accuracy.

The 576th Flight Test Squadron, which will direct the missile launch, installed tracking, telemetry and command destruct systems on the missile to collect data and meet safety requirements. Maintenance and operations task force personnel from the 341st Missile Wing, Malmstrom AFB, Montana, are conducting operational tasks supporting the launch.

Col. Steven Winters, the 30th Space Wing vice commander, is the launch decision authority for this mission. Col. Carl T. DeKemper, the 576th FLTS commander, is the mission director. A crew from Malmstrom AFB will launch the missile under the direction of the 576th FLTS.

 

[trailrider]

Go MAFB! Best in 20th AF!

 

[stevekk]

What is the usual test launch rate for these rockets ? Two in the same month seems like a lot, since we are building them any more, but I guess we are retiring the warheads that were on these rockets at the same time.

That's 2 Minutemen III and a couple of Trident missles all in the same month.

 

[trailrider]

What is the usual test launch rate for these rockets ? Two in the same month seems like a lot, since we are building them any more, but I guess we are retiring the warheads that were on these rockets at the same time.

That's 2 Minutemen III and a couple of Trident missles all in the same month.

PURE SPECULATION on my part: This could be part of the "standup" of the Global Strike Command, which took over command of our nuclear bomber force and 20th Air Force, which is the Minuteman component. Or, it could be just a matter of range availability at Vandy. So far as the Trident II launches are concerned, this was probably just a DASO (Demontration And Shakedown Operation), which is what they used to call it... basically a training excercise for one of the crews of the sub. The "E" (Exercise) birds on the sub could be older ones scheduled for replacement anyway. It can also provide data on "aging programs," which are used to evaluate the useful life of various components.

 

[EarthlingX]

www.vandenberg.af.mil : Vandenberg conducts Minuteman III flight test

Posted 6/30/2010 Updated 6/30/2010

by Staff
30th Space Wing Public Affairs

6/30/2010 - VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A scheduled Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test was launched at 3:40 a.m. June 30 from Launch Facility-04 here.

The missile's single re-entry test vehicle traveled approximately 4,200 miles before reaching its pre-determined target near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. ICBM analysts, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy, will use the data collected to ensure the readiness and capability of the ICBM fleet.

"These launches teach us a great deal and require a team approach," said Col. Carl DeKemper, the 576th Flight Test Squadron commander and mission director. "The launch was part of our continuous self-assessment of the technical and weapons system expertise of our Airmen and the powerful capability of the ICBM fleet."

According to Vandenberg historic records, today also marked the 1,900th launch for Vandenberg AFB since the Air Force assumed the mission in 1957. "This 1,900th launch marks another milestone in the history of Vandenberg and the contribution Vandenberg has had as not only contributing to the nation's security, but also a continuing player in our nuclear deterrence role and overall space and missile launch history of the United States," said Col. Steven Winters, the 30th Space Wing vice commander and the Launch Decision Authority for this mission.

The launch was a combined effort of the 576th FLTS here, 341st Missile Wing, Malmstrom AFB, Mont., and the 30th Space Wing here.

 

[EarthlingX]

SDC : Air Force Launches Ballistic Missile In Suborbital Test

By Tariq Malik
SPACE.com Managing Editor
posted: 30 June 2010
06:21 pm ET



The United States Air Force launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on a test flight early Wednesday, sending the weapon on a suborbital trajectory that reached thousands of miles downrange over the Pacific Ocean.

The Minuteman 3 ICBM blasted off from a silo at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base at 3:40 a.m. EDT (0740 GMT) on routine test flight that was monitored by analysts at the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of Energy. Data from the test will be used to determine the readiness of the U.S. military's ICBM fleet.

The launch sent the Minuteman 3's single re-entry test vehicle about 4,200 miles (6,759 km) across the Pacific Ocean to a pre-designated target near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The atoll is home to the U.S. Army's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site.

"These launches teach us a great deal and require a team approach," said Air Force Col. Carl DeKemper, the 576th Flight Test Squadron commander and mission director, in a statement. "The launch was part of our continuous self-assessment of the technical and weapons system expertise of our Airmen and the powerful capability of the ICBM fleet."