North Korea, US Fire Missiles in Early-Morning Tests (Video)

An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test at 3:40 a.m. EDT (0740 GMT; 12:40 a.m. PDT) on May 9, 2019, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test at 3:40 a.m. EDT (0740 GMT; 12:40 a.m. PDT) on May 9, 2019, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. (Image credit: U.S. Air Force/Airman 1st Class Hanah Abercrombie)

The missiles are really starting to fly.

North Korea fired off two short-range missiles in quick succession early this morning (May 9), according to media reports, conducting its second such test in less than a week. The United States followed suit with a much bigger launch of its own just minutes later.

The North Korean missiles took flight around 3:30 a.m. EDT (0730 GMT) from the city of Kusong and traveled eastward about 260 miles (420 kilometers) and 170 miles (270 km), respectively, the BBC reported, citing South Korean military officials. 

Related: In Images: North Korea's Rocket and Missile Program

The rogue nation also performed a short-range test on Saturday (May 4) — its first missile launch in 18 months. The smoke trail from that vehicle was spotted by one of Planet Labs' tiny, Earth-observing Dove cubesats.

Minutes later, at 3:40 a.m. EDT (0740 GMT, 12:40 a.m. local time), the U.S. launched an unarmed Minuteman III from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The Minuteman III is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying a nuclear warhead thousands of miles.

The Minuteman launch was not a knee-jerk response to North Korea's latest test, however; the Air Force had already been planning the liftoff. And a Minuteman III also flew out of Vandenberg on May 1, before last week's North Korean test.

North Korea test-flew an ICBM of its own in November 2017, and the nation has a stockpile of nuclear weapons. The international community has repeatedly sanctioned North Korea over the years for its development of such technology.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants these penalties lifted or lessened and has met with U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump, to make his case. The recent missile tests may be a signal that North Korea is dissatisfied with the state of negotiations, experts have said.

Today's launches may also be a response to recent joint military exercises the U.S. has conducted with South Korea, the BBC reported. These exercises have long rankled North Korea's leadership.

Editor's note: This story was updated at 1:15 p.m. EDT to state that the U.S. also launched a Minuteman III ICBM on May 1.

Mike Wall's book about the search for alien life, "Out There" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook

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Mike Wall
Senior Space Writer

Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, "Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.