HONOLULU — The Navy and the Missile Defense Agency are preparing for another test of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system off Hawaii.

The agency said Tuesday that the target, a short-range ballistic missile, will be fired Thursday from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai.
The USS Hopper will track the target and then fire and guide an SM-3 missile to intercept the target. If all goes well, the interceptor should hit the target in the upper atmosphere.
Meanwhile, the USS O’Kane will conduct a simulated engagement and the USS Lake Erie will detect and track the target.
The agency says it will be the 23rd firing by ships equipped with the Aegis system. One of the 18 successes involved shooting down a dead U.S. spy satellite is space last year.