This was the second time the U.S. military has attempted an intercept with the Standard Missile-3 Block IIA.
The previous attempt in February was successful.SM-3 interceptors work with the agency’s Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system, which is the naval component of the nation’s ballistic missile defenses.
U.S. and Japanese navy ships are already equipped with earlier versions of the SM-3 interceptor and Aegis technology to track ballistic missiles.
The military has been developing separate technology to fire interceptors from land, called Ground-based Mid-Course Defense. It currently has interceptors for this system in Fort Greely, Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.