Air Force missile crews test-launched another unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile Wednesday May 20, the third since late March — only this time the missileers were in the air.

ICBM crews from the 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., test-launched the ICBM from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. For the launch, the missileers worked from control stations aboard a U.S. Strategic Command E-6B airborne command post aircraft. The F.E. Warren team worked with the 625th Strategic Operations Squadron from Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., and the 576th Flight Test Operations Squadron at Vandenberg.

The missile launched at 3:37 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, and landed 4,200 miles away at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, according to Air Force Global Strike Command.

The Air Force, multiple times per year, selects an ICBM and a missile crew for a test launch to verify the accuracy and reliability of the system.

"Operational test launches are an amazing opportunity for our airmen to see the results of their hard work first-hand," said Maj. Jacqueline Sartori, task force commander for the launch from the 90th Missile Wing. "This launch will help us verify the reliability of our ICBM weapon system and processes."

Within one week in late March, two weapons crews successfully test-launched two unarmed Minuteman ICBMs at Vandenberg. The 341st Missile Wing from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., launched a missile on March 27, while the 90th Missile Squadron from F.E. Warren launched a missile on March 23. Both of these crews launched the missile from control stations on the ground.

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