U.S. MISSILE “READY”

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28895, 15 May 1959, Page 11

U.S. MISSILE “READY”

19th Test Flight Completed (N.Z. ■ Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, May 14. The United States Army announced early today that its Jupiter 1500-mile missile was “ready for operational use” after it had successfully accomplished its nineteenth test flight from Cape Canaveral a few hours earlier. The Army announcement said the flight was designed to further test the Jupiter in its final combat form, “particularly the warhead and fusing apparatus working together as a system.” An Army spokesman would not say immediately whether the missile contained an explosive warhead, United Press International said. He emphasised that the missile, which is expected to be installed soon in bases in Italy, had not been declared an operational weapon in the Army’s arsenal. More tests would be conducted. When the Jupiter becomes operational, it will be an Air Force weapon, under a Defence Department ruling which restricted the Army to short-range missiles. Army personnel aboard a ship in the impact area, 1500 miles south-east of Cape Canaveral, measured the re-entry into the atmosphere of the missile’s three sections, the announcement said. The Jupiter was the missile used to hurl a monkey through space on December 13. last year, but officials said there was no living creature in tonight’s rocket.