Test Of U.S. Shield Fizzles

The test Wednesday was to have been the first in which the interceptor used the same type of booster rocket that the system would use when it is fully operation. The test was also to have been the first for the multibillion-dollar program since Dec. 12, 2002. That test was also a failure as the interceptor failed to separate from its booster rocket, missed its target and burned up in the atmosphere.

The missile-defense system under development is a scaled-down version of the "Star Wars" defense envisioned by President Ronald Reagan two decades ago against a rain of missiles from the Soviet Union. The system now contemplated would guard the United States against attack from smaller "rogue nations."

Before the test Wednesday, the Pentagon agency had conducted eight tests with interceptor vehicles, scoring hits in five. Some critics of the Missile Defense Agency, which has spent more than $80 billion since 1985, say the entire program is unrealistic, and that the tests have been scripted. On the contrary, the agency says. It says the tests are designed to answer specific questions and "to build confidence in the system that we are working to design."

The end of the cold war made Reagan's original vision seem outdated. The administration of President Bill Clinton explored a less advanced system. Then George W. Bush pledged during the 2000 campaign to push for a scaled-down version of the Reagan plan.

It was not immediately clear how long Wednesday's failure might delay deployment of the system.

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