Minuteman Delta-09 Missile Silo, South Dakota

This is the only formerly operational Minuteman II Missile Launch Facility that is preserved by the federal government and open to the public.  It is part of the National Park Service’s Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, which includes a Visitor Center 15 miles away, and a Launch Control Facility ten miles away. This Launch Facility is typical of the 150 Minuteman Missile silos in South Dakota built in the early 1960s, and supported by Ellsworth Air Force Base, each of which were remotely controlled by one of 15 Launch Control Facilities (LCF).  The LCF for this silo was called Delta-01, and had a crew/staff of 10, including two who were inside the underground launch control center continuously, between 1963 and 1993. These two sites were selected for preservation as historic sites due to their exemplary qualities, and proximity to interstate exits. The other Launch Control Facilities and Silos in the state were destroyed with explosives, in accordance with international arms reduction treaties. 450 Minuteman III ICBM silos in other states remain operational. Guided tours of Delta-01 and Delta-09 are available by appointment, based out of the Visitor Center. Visitors do not enter the silo (Delta-09), as it was an unmanned facility, accessed only periodically by service personnel. The silo has a non-functional missile inside, visible through a glass covering in the partially open silo cover. Self-guided tours can be conducted by cell phone by calling a number posted at the site.