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Incomplete Test For US Missile Defense
Washington (AFP) Dec 15, 2004 The US Missile Defense Agency said Wednesday that a planned missile defense flight test over the Pacific Ocean had failed as the interceptor missile did not take off and was automatically shut down. The test, the first of its kind in two years, had already been put off four times due to bad weather at launch sites and, on Sunday, due to the failure of a radio transmitter. On Wednesday, the target missile with a mock warhead was successfully launched from Kodiak, Alaska at (0545 GMT), but it soared uselessly over the Pacific. "As the ground-based interceptor at Kwajalein Atoll was preparing to launch approximately 16 minutes later, it was automatically shut down due to an unknown anomaly," the MDA said in a statement. The atoll is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, where the Ronald Reagan Test site is located in the Central Pacific Ocean. "Program officials will review pre-launch data to determine the cause of the shutdown," the agency said without indicating when the next test firing might take place. Ideally, the missile test should end in an intercept, but the agency says the chief aim is to gather data in preparation for a fully-fledged intercept attempt next March or April. In earlier tests, target missiles have been successfully intercepted in five out of eight attempts. But since the last test in December 2002, flight tests have been delayed or cancelled now seven times, adding to questions about the viability of the system. Despite the lack of recent flight tests, President George W. Bush is expected to declare the system operational by the end of this year. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Missile Defense Program Moves Forward
Washington DC (AFPS) Jan 12, 2006The Missile Defense Agency continues to move forward in its efforts to protect the nation against a ballistic missile attack. The eighth ground-based interceptor missile was lowered into its underground silo at Fort Greely, Alaska, Dec. 18, 2005. |
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