An unarmed Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launches during an operational test at 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb., 19, 2025, at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif. (Joshua LeRoi/U.S. Space Force)

A joint Air Force and Space Force team successfully launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile early morning on Wednesday from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, a service news release said.  

The launch at 1 a.m. Pacific Time was a routine operation aimed at collecting data and demonstrating the effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent, according to the release.

The test was overseen by the 377th Test and Evaluation Group, which the release said is the only organization in the country dedicated solely to testing ICBMs. The group is based out of Vandenberg SFB.

The 377th TEG was joined by airmen from Air Force Global Strike Command, which operates the ICBM’s deterrence architecture and uses Vandenberg as its main testing ground.

The Minuteman III is set to be replaced by the Sentinel within the decade. Despite constant modernizations, the Minuteman III’s fundamental infrastructure dates to the 1970s. 

“The data we collect and analyze is crucial for maintaining Minuteman III while we pave the way for Sentinel,” said Col. Dustin Harmon, commander of the 377th TEG, per the release.

Although Wednesday’s launch was one of hundreds of similar launches, it was scheduled years in advance, and Russia was notified in line with treaty obligations, according to an earlier release.