SAINT-MEDARD-EN-JALLES (33) 15.12.2017

On 15 December 2017 at 18:33, 2 witnesses in Saint-Médard-en-Jalles (33) watched 3 very bright, perfectly aligned points moving west to east through a clear sky for 30 seconds. GEIPAN identifies 3 objects sharing an orbit: the Dragon ISS resupply spacecraft and the 2 protective covers of its solar arrays. The CRS-13 mission launched from Florida at 16:36 French local time, about 2 hours before the sighting, explaining their close spacing. US Space Command catalogued the objects as 43060–43062, international designations 2017-080 A–C. The source cites the video “Dragon resupply Mission CRS 11,” showing the equivalent 3 objects plus the launcher's upper stage during that earlier mission. In this case the upper stage had already performed its reentry burn, leaving only the 3 objects visible. GEIPAN classifies the case A: elements of the Dragon ISS resupply mission.