Vandenberg is testing out the Air Force’s new missile re-entry vehicle. Here’s when
Vandenberg Space Force Base will conduct a test launch of the U.S. Air Force’s new missile re-entry vehicle on Thursday, according to a news release.
The launch is “the first test supporting the development of the Air Force’s new Mk21A re-entry vehicle,” according to a news release on Wednesday.
The vehicle will be used with the future LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile. Both are being developed by the Air Force’s Nuclear Weapons Center, according to the release.
Sentinels will replace the aging Minuteman missiles that have previously been tested at the Central Coast base, located near Lompoc.
In March, the U.S. Department of Defense canceled a planned test launch of its Minuteman III missile amid heightened tensions with Russia over its war with Ukraine.
The test launch is scheduled to take place Thursday morning, though a specific launch window was not released.
This story was originally published July 6, 2022 at 4:09 PM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect the nature of the test. The base was testing a new re-entry vehicle to be used with intercontinental ballistic missiles.
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