US to Launch Another Test Missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base

LOS ANGELES -- Days after North Korea fired a rocket into the Sea of Japan, the U.S. Air Force is planning to test launch an unarmed intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The unarmed Minuteman III missile will be launched between 12:01 and 6:01 a.m. PDT from the base, about 12 miles northwest of Lompoc, according to Vandenberg's 30th Space Wing team.

The Air Force Global Strike Command's missile launch is designed to test the weapon system's effectiveness, accuracy and readiness, the Air Force said.

The test comes after North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday -- the second in less than a month. The two-stage missile crashed off the coast of Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido. Independent defense analysts say the missile may be capable of reaching California and other parts of the West Coast.

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, said Monday that the Vandenberg test launch "must be viewed as a direct response to the North Korean launch." The organization has called for diplomacy, not military provocations.

The test would be the fourth ICBM launched from the Santa Barbara County base this year.

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