(Tribune News Service) — Vandenberg Space Force Base held a test launch Monday night of an unarmed reentry vehicle meant to eventually be able to deploy a thermonuclear warhead as part of the United States’ next generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
According to a news release from the military base, the unarmed MK-21A reentry vehicle was launched aboard a Minotaur 1 rocket from the Central Coast base at 11:01 p.m. PT.
Last year, Lockheed Martin was awarded a nearly $1 billion contract by the U.S. Department of Defense for the development of the reentry vehicle, which is designed to deploy the W87-1 warhead for the Air Force’s Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile weapon system.
Once fully completed, the reentry vehicle will be “integrated on the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile weapon system,” the release said.
The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center is in charge of the development of the Mk21A program as a whole.
“Test launches like these are crucial for protecting our nation’s defense,” Col. Mark Shoemaker, Commander of Space Launch Delta 30, said in the release. “As global threats evolve, it’s essential to support these launches and maintain access to space to safeguard our nation.”
Vandenberg Space Force Base is Space Force’s West Coast Spaceport and Test Range and one of only two high-capacity spaceports for the United States, according to the release.
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(Vandenberg Space Force Base)
