WASHINGTON, (voa) – The United States is expected to carry out a missile-defense test in the coming hours despite repeated delays.
The test now scheduled for early today (Monday) was delayed a first time from its scheduled Saturday launch because of poor weather conditions.
A U.S. official is quoted as saying the test was again delayed today for several additional hours because of more bad weather.
U.S. military officials say poor conditions over the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California could make the test unsafe.
It involves launching a missile with a mock warhead and trying to shoot it down more than 200 kilometers above the Pacific Ocean with an interceptor missile.
So far, two of four similar tests have succeeded. A sixth launch is scheduled for February.
The tests are among efforts to develop a defensive system that could shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles before they reach U.S. territory. The Bush administration says the United States needs such a shield to guard against potential threats from so-called rogue states.
The proposed system has caused friction with Russia, which opposes the shield, citing restrictions on missile development in the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty between the United States and the former Soviet Union.
However, U.S. officials say the current stage of testing does not violate the accord.
