The U.S. Air Force demonstrated the nation's nuclear readiness by launching an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California early Wednesday morning.

The ballistic missile was shot over the Pacific Ocean and travelled more than 4,200 miles to a test range in the Marshall Islands. It completed the journey in about 22 minutes and travelled at a speed of 15,000 miles per hour, which is 24 times faster than a typical passenger jet.