WENDOVER — The Air Force on Tuesday began destroying the rocket motors and solid propellant of Air Force and Navy ballistic missiles at the Utah Test and Training Range.
Detonations will occur two or three times a week through the end of September. The motors and propellant are being destroyed because of their age and as part of international treaties to reduce the number of ballistic missiles.
“Detonation is the best environmental method for disposing of these large rocket motors and propellant,” Michelle Cottle, the environmental branch chief for the 75th Civil Engineer Group, said in a statement. Since 2012, more than 300 rocket motors have been destroyed at the training range.
Before each large detonation — those involving more than 10,000 pounds of net explosive weight — the Air Force takes atmospheric readings to check wind speed, direction and other factors, and enters them into a sound model to determine if conditions are acceptable for a large detonation.
If the model predicts that noise is going to be louder than permitted levels at locations along the Wasatch Front, the detonations are delayed. The detonations are typically done between May and October when weather conditions are most favorable.
According to Cottle, the range is the only location in the United States capable of destroying the missile motors. “We do everything possible to do this work without adversely affecting those around us,” she said.