Point One: If it was as Secret Military Launch and the DoD wants to keep it quiet then you don't launch it 35 miles off the coast where 10 million people can watch it. You do it way out to sea.

Point Two: If it was a standard military test launch then they would have told everyone before the launch like the usually do.

Point Three: If it was an airplane contrail and the angle of the trail was an optical illusion then the base of the contrail nearest the horizon would be faded and weak. Go look at the contrail. The base is THICKER than the top of the trail.

THEREFORE: this is a missile launch.

SO: There are three types of sea based missile launches. 1) by Ship, 2) on a Platform like the SeaLaunch system, or 3) from a submarine.

1) If it was ship based, it was a F'in huge ship and if it was not the navy then it was the russians or the chinese as they are the only ones with the technology to do that. Even still, launching from a ship is unbelievably hard and could easily be detected by air in no time.

2) If it was a platform, well see number 1. That would be easy to find and determine within a few hours. So no its not a platform launch and to anyone's knowledge at the moment there are only a couple platform systems that can actually launch from sea and we know where they are. So no.

3) This is a very A typical profile of a sub based launch. The missile comes out of the water then fires its engines causing a big cloud of smoke at the base of the contrail. It then speeds into space wobbling a little as it goes before turning down range. Look at the contrail again. That is EXACTLY what it is.

NOW, heres the problem. The US Navy just launched ( by accident most likely) a nuclear tipped Trident missile. Most likely it was destroyed in space before it decide to fall somewhere and cause a whole set of other problems. BUT, do you think the Navy or the DoD is ever going to admit they just launched a nuclear warhead at china or what have you by accident? Not a chance in hell.