Vandenberg Space Force Base test launches unarmed Mk. 21A re-entry vehicle Monday

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif.– A test launch of an unarmed Mk. 21A reentry vehicle aboard a Minotaur 1 rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 11:01 p.m. Monday.

The launch was an in-flight environmental test of the reentry vehicle which is currently under contract with Lockheed Martin for its development phase detailed the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center.

"Test launches like these are crucial for protecting our nation's defense," said Colonel Mark Shoemaker, Commander of Space Launch Delta 30. "As global threats evolve, it's essential to support these launches and maintain access to space to safeguard our nation."

Above is an image of Mk. 21 re-entry vehicles in the Missile and Space Gallery of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

"The Mk21A RV is crucial to addressing the rapidly changing global threat picture," said Brigadier General William Rogers, U.S. Air Force's program executive officer for intercontinental ballistic missiles. "Its continued development and deployment will ensure a safe, secure and effective deterrent force for the foreseeable future."

Following full operational approval, the Mk. 21A re-entry vehicle will be integrated into the nation's existing intercontinental ballistic missile weapons systems explained Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The U.S. Department of Defense awarded the $996,215,214 contract for the Mk. 21A Re-entry Vehicle program on Oct. 30, 2023 and the estimated completion time for the project is Oct. 20, 2039.

"This progress is built on a strong foundation—Lockheed Martin’s 65-plus years of demonstrated exceptional performance in reentry technologies and a pioneering digital engineering approach on this program from its beginning," said Jay Watson, vice president of Strategic Reentry at Lockheed Martin. “We remain focused on delivering this capability for the warfighter as a trusted partner to the U.S. Air Force for ICBM reentry systems and modernization of the deterrent triad.”

The re-entry system is not a new advance on the nuclear weapons systems in the United States.

Below is an image showing the components of a Peacekeeper Missile from the 1980s showing how the re-entry system is fixed onto launch systems.

The LMG-118A Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile carried ten nuclear weapons within its Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicle warhead but was removed from the national nuclear arsenal as part of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty II.

While the last Peacekeeper was retired from alert status in 2005, the rocket used on Monday was a Minotaur 1 four-stage solid fuel launch vehicle developed by Northrop Grumman.

Vandenberg Space Force Base is the United States Space Force's West Coast Spaceport and Test Range, and one of two high-capacity spaceports in the county.

In early June, two Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles were successfully test-launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base.