Mystery Missile: Launch of Unknown Missile Caught on Tape in California

"If they were going to do that and make it secret, they wouldn't launch it 35 miles from Los Angeles, they would launch it in the South Pacific or something, and so it's difficult to conger up some story where that makes sense," he said.

U.S. Military Says It Did Not Launch Mystery Missile

There has been speculation that if the military was not behind the apparent missile firing caught on tape, that it may have been a commercial venture.

ABC News

The U.S. Defense Department said Tuesday it... View Full Caption

The U.S. Defense Department said Tuesday it was trying to determine if a missile was launched Monday off the coast of Southern California, and if so, who might have fired it. Close

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However, even private commercial testing requires coordination with federal aviation and maritime agencies to ensure no civilian aircraft or boats enter a maritime splash or launch area.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it did not approve any commercial launches around the Los Angeles area on Monday.

To add to the mystery of what's on the videotape, the FAA said a radar replay of a large area west of Los Angeles did not reveal any fast moving unidentified targets in that area.

The FAA also said it did not receive any reports of any unusual sightings from pilots who were flying in the area on Monday afternoon.