Vandenberg launches Minuteman III Published July 21, 2005 VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFPN) -- An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile was successfully launched from here July 21.The mission was to demonstrate the ability to integrate new products into the weapon system. Tracking, telemetry and command destruct systems were installed on the missile to collect data and meet safety requirements. The launch was a team effort by Airmen from the 30th Space Wing, the 576th Flight Test Squadron and the 595th Space Group. The missile’s one unarmed re-entry vehicles traveled about 4,200 miles in about 30 minutes, hitting a predetermined target at the Kwajalein Missile Range in the western chain of the Pacific Ocean’s Marshall Islands.