Minuteman nuclear missile launch, 1979. Aerial view of the launch of two unarmed Minuteman nuclear missiles from launch facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA. The missile at top was launched from Launch Facility 09 (LF-09). The one launching at bottom is from Launch Facility 08 (LF-08). LGM-30 Minuteman missiles, a type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), entered service in 1962. They were stationed across the USA ready for launch against the Soviet Union (USSR) during the Cold War. Photographed on 10 July 1979.