Navy Test Fires Second Ballistic Missile Near California Coast

The U.S. Navy has test fired a second unarmed Trident II (D5) missile off the Southern California coast Monday afternoon, the Los Angeles Times reports. 

The first test  over the Saturday night sky spurred speculation it might be extraterrestrial visitors until the Navy came clean about the test on Sunday. The bluish-green streak of light seen by people from California to Mexico came from the Trident's motor.

The missile was fired from the Kentucky, a ballistic submarine.

"It's important that we test these missiles for our national security," John M. Daniels, spokesman for the Strategic Systems Programs office, told the Times. "We don’t announce future launches, but this is it for any time soon."

The Kentucky made the two launches as part of a demonstration and shakedown operation, or DASO, which is used to certify the crew's readiness before returning to operational availability.

The submarine is in the final stage of a mid-life overhaul in April, which included replacing its expended nuclear fuel.

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