Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site
The Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, commonly referred to as the Reagan Test Site (formerly Kwajalein Missile Range), is a missile test range in the Pacific Ocean. It covers about 750,000 square miles (1,900,000 km2) and includes rocket launch sites at the Kwajalein Atoll (on multiple islands), Wake Island, and Aur Atoll. It primarily functions as a test facility for U.S. missile defense and space research programs. The Reagan Test Site is under the command of the US Army Kwajalein Atoll, or USAKA.
The mission control center, along with most of the personnel and infrastructure, is located at the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.[1] Eleven of the atoll's islands are operated by the U.S. military under a long term lease with the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
Equipment installed at the test site includes various tracking radars, stationary and mobile telemetry, optical recording equipment and a secure fiberoptic data network via the HANTRU-1 undersea cable. The Reagan Test Site also serves as a tracking station for manned space flight and NASA research projects.
Launch activities at the test site include ballistic missile tests, ABM interception tests, meteorological sounding rockets and a commercial spaceport for SpaceX at Omelek Island.
Previous names for the installation:[2]
- Naval Station Kwajalein (Post WWII–1959)
- Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kwajalein (1959–1964)
- Kwajalein Test Site (1964–1968)
- Kwajalein Missile Range (1968–1986)
- United States Army Kwajalein Atoll (1986–1991)
- Kwajalein Missile Range (1991–1999)
- Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (1999–present)
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[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS) Official Site
- U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) at GlobalSecurity.org
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 8°43′N 167°44′E / 8.717°N 167.733°E
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