| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Test missile launched at Vandenberg base
Saturday August 16, 2003VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) U.S. officials launched a missile Saturday to test its flight performance and potential for use as part of a land-based defense system.
The prototype was launched from a silo at Vandenberg Air Force Base at 11 a.m.
The rocket is designed to intercept limited long-range ballistic missiles. The Bush administration wants a missile defense system to include rockets based at Vandenberg.
The launch did not test the missile's ability to intercept an incoming rocket. Maj. Stacee Bako said more tests are planned this fall in the Marshall Islands.
The three-stage booster was designed by Orbital Sciences Corp.
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