🚀 Minuteman III | 🛰 Minuteman III test reentry vehicle
Launch date: May 21, 2025 07:01 UTC
Payload: Minuteman III test reentry vehicle
Location: Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
Vehicle: Minuteman III
The U.S. military conducted a test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile on May 21, 2025, at 3:01 a.m. ET (0701 GMT) from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The missile sent a single reentry vehicle 4,200 miles to the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site in the Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. The launch, overseen by the Air Force Global Strike Command, was planned in advance to demonstrate the reliability and readiness of the United States’ nuclear deterrent. The Minuteman III will be replaced by the LGM-35 Sentinel by 2030.
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Minuteman Launch Area, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, USA
The Minuteman Launch Area at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California comprises a network of silos and launch facilities dedicated to test-firing the Minuteman series of intercontinental ballistic missiles. Since the 1960s, Vandenberg has served as the main West Coast site for the development, operational testing, and evaluation of these land-based strategic missiles, supporting both research and training for missile crews.
The site has supported multiple generations of Minuteman missiles, most notably the Minuteman III, with launches conducted to verify system reliability and support treaty verification measures. The facilities are operated by the United States Air Force, working in collaboration with the newly established United States Space Force, underscoring the base’s continued importance in the nation’s strategic defense posture.