An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile was successfully launched from North Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 1:37 a.m. PDT (0837 GMT) today.

An airborne launch control system aircrew from Offutt AFB, Neb., led by Maj. Bob Latour, launched the missile under the direction of the 576th Flight Test Squadron here. Capt. Barry Little, 576th FLTS, was the launch director. Col. Frank Wolf, 30th Space Wing vice commander, was the spacelift commander. Mission director was Lt. Col. Anthony Blaylock, 576th FLTS commander. Members of the 576th FLTS installed tracking, telemetry and command destruct systems on the missile to collect data and meet range safety requirements.

The missile's single unarmed re-entry vehicle traveled approximately 4,200 miles in about 30 minutes, hitting a pre-determined target at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein Atoll in the western chain of the Marshall Islands. The nation's ICBMs are a key component of global stability - a safe, secure and affordable weapon system that delivers deterrence.