Feb. 19, 2025 Minuteman III test launch showcases readiness of U.S. nuclear force's safe, effective deterrent A joint team, with support from the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, launched an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with a single telemetered joint test assembly re-entry vehicle at 1 a.m. Pacific time Feb. 19 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.