White Sands Missile Range

White Sands Missile Range, main U.S. Army missile-testing site located in south-central New Mexico. It was established as White Sands Proving Ground in 1945 and renamed in 1958. The range extends 120 mi (193 km) from north to south and 40 mi (64 km) east to west. The first atomic bomb was exploded there in 1945.

See also: Army, U.S.