May 11 1989
From The Space Library
An unarmed Air Force Midgetman missile went off course and was destroyed shortly after launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The missile began to tumble 70 seconds into the flight during its second stage burn, causing the range safety officer to transmit a self-destruct command. The Midgetman, which was undergoing its first flight test, had been programmed to deliver a dummy warhead 4,600 miles over the Pacific Ocean to the Kwajalein Atoll test range. Despite the failure, the test was declared a partial success by the Air Force. (NY Times, May 12/89; WSJ, May 12/89; USA Today, May 12/89; W Times, May 12/89)
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