VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE, Calif. -- In the dark hours of May 21, a flash of light split the night sky along California’s coast, marking the successful launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile during operational test Glory Trip 253: An operational test designed to verify the accuracy and reliability of the United States’ land-based nuclear deterrent.
Vandenberg’s 377th Test and Evaluation Group oversaw the test launch. It is the nation’s only dedicated ICBM test organization professionally executing tests that accurately measure the current and future capability of the ICBM force.
Behind the ignition that propelled the missile more than 4,200 miles from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., to a target in the Marshall Islands, were Airmen from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, who played a critical role in ensuring the launch was a success.
1st Lt. Travis Evans and 1st Lt. Kalvin Sutherland, missileers from the 341st Operations Group, were responsible for initiating the launch sequence. While the test was conducted at Vandenberg, the task was familiar: One they routinely rehearse and execute on alert back home in Montana. This time, however, their actions would send a live missile into the sky, testing the readiness, reliability and precision of the nation’s strategic deterrent.
“I think every Glory Trip we have serves the same purpose,” said Evans, 10th Missile Squadron combat crew commander. “For decades now we’ve been testing our weapon system to demonstrate its security and reliability, and our credibility as a nation…if it came to it, whenever the president authorizes us to carry out our job, we are able to do so.”
Evans described that he and Sutherland were well-prepared for launch night thanks to their experience pulling alert duties and constant training, but that didn’t negate their feelings of anticipation for the event.
“As we got closer to the launch night, it kind of set in that there aren't many people who have actually been given the opportunity to give that final key turn on a test missile,” he explained. “Knowing that we're contributing directly to the mission, and the test mission, is very rewarding.”
Glory Trip 253 was more than just a routine test—it was the latest demonstration of strategic readiness. The unarmed missile, randomly selected from Malmstrom’s operational inventory, was equipped with a single Mark-21 High Fidelity Re-Entry Vehicle to provide valuable telemetry data to the 576th Flight Test Squadron and reaffirm the effectiveness of the Minuteman III weapon system.
As the clock counted down to the launch window, the pair of missileers completed all checklist procedures from a subterranean control center hidden away from the cool, briny air of the cloudless Southern California night.
But long before any countdown began, another team of Malmstrom Airmen was already hard at work behind the scenes.
A 17-person task force from the 341st Maintenance Group was responsible for preparing the missile ahead of the launch. Their work included removing the missile from alert status, inspecting and disassembling critical components, and helping facilitate transport to Vandenberg in coordination with depot personnel from Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
Staff Sgt. James Lynch, 341st Missile Maintenance Squadron team chief, said the process was both routine and extraordinary.
“We’ve been training for this day in and day out through the operational work we routinely do,” Lynch said. “[We’ve] been in the field for the last two years sweating, bleeding, to get the job done. None of us have been part of a test launch before, so getting to actually see [the missile] come out of a hole and launch like fireworks is like fourth quarter Super Bowl.”
Once on the ground at Vandenberg, Malmstrom’s maintainers joined forces with the 576 FLTS to prepare the missile for final emplacement. Their days were long, and their margin for error was nonexistent.
“We have the best people in the business doing the best job in the world, and we don’t have room for mistakes,” Lynch said. “[Missile maintainers] are the epitome of ‘not all heroes wear capes,’ because they’re getting it done no matter the conditions. That’s why there’s more pride in this job than there is anywhere else in the Air Force.”
The team stayed on site for several weeks, performing systems tests and ensuring the missile was in perfect working condition. Meanwhile, Malmstrom’s missileers reviewed launch procedures and engaged in readiness drills alongside their California-based counterparts.
Lynch and his team were among the shadowy crowd gathered at Missile Alert Facility O1-E, beneath several overhead lights that bled yellow-white pools into the observation area. Dozens of silhouettes faced toward Launch Facility 10, the site a few miles northwest and separated by rolling valleys filled with coastal sage scrub, where the missile would be fired.
At approximately 11:58 p.m. Pactific Time, all the lights at O1-E suddenly snapped off, indicating to the buzzing crowd that the launch would soon commence. Elsewhere, the 576th FLTS monitored every aspect of the mission at the integrated launch center, a control room with more than a dozen military and civilian specialists communicating on headsets while live video feeds of LF-10 projected from large monitors.
As the final countdown began, launch teams confirmed system readiness across the board. Inside the launch control center, Evans and Sutherland simultaneously turned their keys to complete the sequence that would send the Minuteman III roaring into the sky.
“Stand by for terminal count,” a male voice boomed over the public address system at O-1E.
At precisely 12:01 a.m. PT, the dark horizon was consumed by a blooming dome of orange. The missile emerged as a brilliant burst of fire and smoke, rising into the onyx sky and arcing in a perfect curve through the stars and towards the test range. Approximately ten seconds later, the viewers at O-1E were struck by the ground-rumbling roar of the missile’s rocket motor.
For the Airmen who made it happen, watching the launch wasn’t just about seeing a missile fly—it was a moment of validation.
“Operational test launches like this reinforce the fact that our legacy systems are still lethal, capable and ready,” said Col. Dan Voorhies, 341st Missile Wing commander. “They also give our Airmen, from missileers to maintainers, an opportunity to see just how their training and expertise contribute to strategic deterrence on a global scale.”
The Glory Trip series of operational test launches is designed to validate the Minuteman III system’s capabilities and ensure continued confidence in the Air Force’s land-based strategic deterrent. Each launch provides valuable data to the Air Force Global Strike Command and the Department of Defense, supporting modernization efforts and force readiness.
Malmstrom’s Glory Trip 253 serves as a visible reminder of the Air Force’s nuclear mission, and the Airmen who execute it with precision and pride, day in and day out.