An unidentified missile launched and zoomed across the Atlantic Ocean Thursday, March 26, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, leaving a slim white contrail against the afternoon blue sky.
No public announcements have been made about the mysterious launch, which occurred at roughly 12:30 p.m. None of the Space Coast’s major rocket-launch providers had missions scheduled on Thursday.
FLORIDA TODAY, part of the USA TODAY Network, left messages seeking information with Department of Defense media officials before and after liftoff, which was foretold by an unusual Coast Guard-Department of Homeland Security launch-hazard zone extending eastward across the sea.
May 2025 story: U.S. Navy hypersonic missile launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station deemed a success
In April 2025, a hypersonic missile streaked skyward at great speed during a test flight conducted by the U.S. Navy’s Strategic Systems Programs.
Previously, in December 2024, the U.S. Army and Navy conducted an unannounced, successful Dark Eagle hypersonic weapon test from Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
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Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY, where he has covered news since 2004. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Mysterious missile launches March 26 from Cape Canaveral, Florida