February 01, 1961

Feb. 1, 1961
The first Boeing LGM-30A Minuteman ICBM is launched from Cape Canaveral Missile Test Annex, Fla. It travels 4,600 miles and hits the target area. This is the first time a first-test missile is launched with all systems and stages functioning.

Related

Vandenberg Eyes New Launch Support Facilities, Possible On-Site Manufacturing

Oct. 5, 2026
The Space Force is looking for industry feedback on its plans to create a new “Mission Development Zone” at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., to support launch providers with space for additional payload processing capacity, test and assembly facilities, and potentially rocket and spacecraft manufacturing infrastructure.

As Air Force Goes Big on Autonomy, Are Cargo Drones Next?

Oct. 5, 2026
The Air Force’s plans to field 1,000 semi-autonomous fighter and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance drones within just a few years made headlines at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber conference last month. But beyond the service’s signature Collaborative Combat Aircraft and Massed Modular Aircraft programs, a half-dozen or so firms are pitching…

Air Force and Space Force Shooting for Historic Recruiting Goals in 2027

Oct. 2, 2026
The Air Force adjusted its fiscal 2026 recruiting goal down by a few hundred enlisted Airmen due to higher-than-expected retention and the number of available training slots—but it is aiming high in fiscal 2027 with its biggest goal for the Active-Duty Air Force in nearly 25 years, and the Space…