Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Reported by: Joe Vignolo
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE
If you were awaken this morning to what sounded like a jet flying overhead, it was actually just a missile!
An unarmed Minuteman III ballistic missile launched a little after 1:00 a.m. Wednesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
It traveled 4,200 miles to it's target at the Reagan Test Site (RTS) in the Marshall Islands.
The launch is part of a test to determine the accuracy and reliability of the nation's nuclear weapons system's.
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At 08:01 GMT (01:01 local time) this morning, the United States Air Force launched a  missile on a test mission from Launch Facility 09 at  in California. Due to a large number of delays, this is the first time that a Minuteman missile has conducted an operational test in over a year.

The missile flew 6,759 kilometres (4,200 miles) downrange on a  trajectory, to the  test site in the Marshall Islands. The  reached has not yet been released, however typical Minuteman launches reach between 1,000 and 1,300km. The mission, which was designated GT-196GM, or "Glory Trip 196GM", was conducted to test the missile's operational capabilities. The missile flew with a single MK.21 re-entry vehicle, which would be used to carry a nuclear warhead if the missile were launched in hostile circumstances.

The next operational test of a Minuteman III is scheduled for early August.