Test missile launched from California coast

The U.S. Air Force has successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in a test on the California coast.

The unarmed Minuteman 3 missile was launched Wednesday morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

It was the fourth such test this year. The most recent was in May.

The Air Force says the test was to check the readiness, effectiveness and accuracy of the weapons system.

Minuteman missiles are regularly tested with launches from Vandenberg that send unarmed re-entry vehicles to a target area in the middle of the Pacific.

However, the latest launches come amid tensions with North Korea as that nation develops its own ICBMs.