A US interceptor missile shut down automatically during a Pacific Ocean test on 15 December 2004, undercutting the Bush administration's goal of fielding a limited ballistic missile defense system before year's end. The interceptor, stationed at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, failed to lift off about 16 minutes after a target rocket carrying a mock warhead launched from Kodiak, Alaska. The Missile Defense Agency attributed the abort to an "unknown anomaly" and said program officials would review pre-launch data.
The test was intended to strike the dummy warhead at 160 kilometers altitude and cost $85 million. It was the first full attempt in two years, having been postponed four times over weather conditions and once because of a radio transmitter failure. A comparable test in December 2002 also ended without an intercept.
American media offered a harsh assessment. The New York Times ran a critical editorial calling the program "the naked shield," while the Washington Post described the outcome as an embarrassing setback.
The agency said its immediate priority is collecting data to prepare for a full intercept attempt scheduled for March or April. Five of eight earlier tests produced successful intercepts. Total program costs are projected at $50 billion.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in December 2004, in its own words.