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A Chimera target launch vehicle successfully blasts off at 11:57 p.m. Tuesday from north Vandenberg Air Force Base. The launch was part of an exercise involving the tracking of a long-range target by a missile-defense research satellite. / USAF photo/2nd Lt. Raymond Geoffroy
A missile — made up of a modified Minuteman weapon with a simplified target payload — blasted off just before midnight Tuesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base.
The on-time departure at 11:57 p.m. from North Base involved the Chimera target launch vehicle.
This week’s test was part of an exercise involving the tracking of a long-range target missile by the Near Field Infrared Experiment (NFIRE) research satellite.
The NFIRE satellite launched in April 2007 from Wallops Island, Va. The spacecraft is designed to record high- and low-resolution images of a boosting weapon to improve understanding of the missile exhaust plume and the ability to distinguish the plume from the launch vehicle.
“For the past 50 years Vandenberg has been at the forefront of advancing space power.” said Col. David J. Buck, 30th Space Wing commander. “This launch showcases Vandenberg Air Force Base’s global impact and its critical role in advancing space and missile systems.”
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