A Minotaur II+ rocket exploded simply after launching on a take a look at mission from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base early Thursday morning (July 7).
The explosion occurred about 11 seconds after liftoff, which happened at 2:01 a.m. EDT (0601 GMT; 11:01 p.m. native California time on July 6), in keeping with a short press release (opens in new tab) issued by Vandenberg officers.
No accidents have been reported, and “the debris was contained to the immediate vicinity of the launch pad,” the discharge said, including that an investigative evaluate board will decide the trigger.
“We always have emergency response teams on standby prior to every launch,” Col. Kris Barcomb, Space Launch Delta 30 vice commander and the choice authority for this launch, added within the assertion. “Safety is our priority at all times.”
Related: What is the U.S. Space Force?
The Minotaur II+ launch was meant to assist the event of a re-entry car for the U.S. Air Force referred to as Mk21A, which is able to ultimately experience on an LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that can also be within the works, in keeping with CBS News (opens in new tab).
“The test launch was intended to demonstrate preliminary design concepts and relevant technologies in operationally realistic environments, according to Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center officials,” CBS reported.
The Sentinel program is meant to exchange the “aging” Minuteman III ICBM, in keeping with the middle, which is helming the challenge.
“Although certain components and subsystems have been upgraded since the Minuteman III ICBM system first became operational in the early 1970s, most of the system’s fundamental infrastructure still uses the original equipment,” Nuclear Weapons Center officers wrote in a description of the Sentinel ICBM program (opens in new tab).
Once prepared, the brand new Sentinel ICBMs will take the place of 400 Minuteman III ICBMs stationed at Air Force bases in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota, Air Force officers mentioned.
The plan is to improve launch services, missile alert and communication methods, and different infrastructure and know-how to “support the new Sentinel weapon system,” the outline added. “The Minuteman III ICBMs will be decommissioned, which requires demilitarization and disposal activities.”
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