[Launch Alert] Successful Minuteman Launch

[Brian Webb]

                             LAUNCH ALERT
 				  
                              Brian Webb
                     Ventura County, California
                         kd6nrp at earthlink.net
                     http://www.spacearchive.info

                                 2009 August 23 (Sunday) 11:31 PDT
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                  VANDENBERG LAUNCHES MINUTEMAN III
                     Vandenberg AFB News Release
                           2009 August 23

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - An unarmed Minuteman III
intercontinental ballistic missile configured with a National Nuclear
Security Administration test assembly launched from North Vandenberg
today at 9:01 a.m.

The launch was an operational test to verify the weapon system's
reliability and accuracy.

The missile carried one unarmed re-entry vehicle approximately 4,190
miles at speeds in excess of 15,000 mph to a pre-determined target near
the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

Col. Steven Winters, the 30th Space Wing vice commander, was the
mission's launch decision authority.  Col. Carl T. DeKemper, the 576th
Flight Test Squadron commander, was the mission director for this test
launch.

Throughout the preparation and execution of the mission, maintenance
and operations task force personnel from the 341st Missile Wing,
Malmstrom AFB, Mont., integrated with the 576th FLTS to perform
operational tasks.  Members of the 576th FLTS installed tracking,
telemetry and command destruct systems on the missile to collect data
and meet 30th Space Wing safety requirements.

The data collected will be used by the entire ICBM community,
including the United States Strategic Command planners and Department
of Energy laboratories. 

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