COUERON (44) 03.07.2015

Around 01:10 on 3 July 2015, a witness in Couëron (44) saw 4 evenly spaced star-like lights in a vertical line tilted right against the dark night sky. The group separated and the points moved differently in 2 pairs before going dark. CalSky checks showed 2 pairs of notable orbiting objects passing at that precise time; see the attached record. One was USA 62/NOSS 2-1C with USA 62/NOSS 2-1B. The other was ADEOS 2 H2A Rocket with Yaogan 1 LM Rocket, the latter the brightest of all 4. They appeared to travel together but were at very different altitudes. GEIPAN found the unusual display matched CalSky's model based on NORAD's published orbital parameters. Streetlights being switched off made the coordinated passage particularly noticeable. Another pair, Cosmos 1689 Rocket and Landsat 5, had been visible on a nearby path a few minutes earlier. GEIPAN notes that this season is especially favourable for seeing many satellites on roughly south–north or north–south paths. It classified the case A: observation of satellites.