NewsBreakingOnline

We have a bit of a missile mystery in Southern California: The Pentagon Tuesday said it was trying to determine if a missile was launched Monday off the coast of Southern California and who might have launched it. Spokesmen for the Navy, Air Force, Defense Department and North American Aerospace Defense Command said they were looking into a video posted on the CBS News website that appears to show a rocket or some other object shooting up into the sky and leaving a large contrail over the Pacific Ocean. The video was shot by a CBS affiliate KCBS’ helicopter, the station said Tuesday. “Nobody within the Department of Defense that we’ve reached out to has been able to explain what this contrail is, where it came from,” Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said. “So far, we’ve come up empty with any explanation.” Lapan said officials are talking to the Air Force, Navy and NORAD as well as civilian authorities who control and monitor air space. “Right now, all indications are that there was not (Department of Defense) involvement in this,” Lapan said, adding that some object might have been launched by a private company. The FAA told CBS News that they ran radar replays of a large area west of Los Angeles based on media reports of the location of a possible missile launch, but they did not reveal any fast moving unidentified targets in that area. The FAA also did not receive any reports of any unusual sightings from pilots in the area. Missile tests are common off Southern California. Launches are conducted from vessels and platforms on an ocean range west of Point Mugu. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, issued a statement jointly with the U.S. Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, saying that the contrail was not the result of a foreign military launching a missile. Launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base are not that uncommon around here. Sometimes they announce them ahead of time, sometimes they don’t. I’ve seen quite a few of them and depending on what time of day they go off they can be very spectacular. During night launches you can usually see the rockets stage at high altitude, and if the launch occurs shortly after sundown the contrails are very vivid against the darkening sky. However, it’s hard to image someone launching what has been described by experts as a large missile without somebody in the government knowing about it. That’s a little spooky. By the way, some are now suggesting that what we’re seeing is a high level jet contrail that is giving the illusion of a missile launch. I suppose that’s possible. With missile launches you can see the vehicle moving and often see a spray at the back of the missile from the exhaust flame.