AVON-LES-ROCHES (37) 01.09.1980

This observation dates from 1980 but was reported to GEIPAN in July 2015. During an ANSTJ holiday camp themed around experimental rockets, a witness looking through binoculars saw a rocket named Fuch Off disappear. To the witness, it seemed to be absorbed by a spherical object that was itself being pursued by 2 fighter aircraft. The source summary describes the sphere as metallic grey; the investigation discussion calls it silver. GEIPAN describes the report as unusual both because it was submitted so long after the event and because it concerned an educational model-rocket launch under the responsibility of CNES and ANSTJ. It conducted an inquiry within CNES to find participants or spectators. This was difficult after 35 years, but investigators located one of the launch organizers, who still held all the launch records from that period. He prepared a detailed account of the launch (see his report). The rocket had not been recovered because vegetation on the site was particularly dense. The organizer's report did not mention the sphere described by the witness. Fighter aircraft had indeed flown past at that time, but their flight was unrelated to the launch of Fuch Off. GEIPAN's only hypothesis for the silver sphere is a possible misidentification of a pilot balloon: a small-diameter balloon whose trajectory, observed from the ground, indicates wind speed and direction. It considers the coincidence of the rocket launch, the sphere's passage and the fighter aircraft's passage fortuitous. The operations manager mentioned no particular problem and no other report of a silver sphere, despite the large number of spectators. GEIPAN therefore classifies the case B: probable misidentification of a balloon.