 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
US Missile Defense Test Ends In Fiasco, Second In A Row
For the second time in less than two months, a test of the Pentagon's missile defense system ended in fiasco Monday when an interceptor missile failed to lift off, defense officials said. The Missile Defense Agency said the failure became apparent when an interceptor that was supposed to shoot down an incoming target missile carrying a mock warhead did not take off from the Ronald Reagan Test Site located on the Marshall Islands in the central Pacific. "The reason for not launching is under investigation, and program officials are reviewing data to determine the cause," the agency said in a statement. The setback was most likely caused by a malfunction of the ground support equipment rather than defects of the missile itself, the officials pointed out. However, the failed test was the second for the beleaguered national missile defense system since mid-December. The December 15 test was aborted after a built-in internal check detected an anomaly in the interceptor missile, shutting it down moments before launch from an atoll in the Pacific. Lieutenant General Henry Obering, who heads the Missile Defense Agency said an assessment had determined that the anomaly was a rare gap in the flow of electronic messages between the flight computer and the interceptor's thrust vector controller, which guides the missile. All rights reserved. � 2004 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
Missile Defense Takes Big Hit In 2006 Budget Plan
Washington (AFP) Feb 07, 2005The Pentagon plans to cut spending on missile defense by five billion dollars over the next six years, slashing a program to develop a "boost phase" interceptor missile, senior defense officials said.
|
|
| |||||||||
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service. |
