MALREVERS (43) 26.05.2021

On 26 May 2021 at about 23:00, T1 visited a friend, T2, in Malrevers (43). They saw 5 light sources with 2 halos moving silently in a straight line from northwest to southeast. After approximately 30 seconds, the full Moon's brightness made the phenomenon indistinguishable as it disappeared southeastward. GEIPAN judged the evidence moderate: both people observed it, but only T1 submitted a questionnaire and there were no photographs or videos. GEIPAN defines evidential support as the amount of information collected for an account that is considered reliable and objectively established. The investigation identified effects from ignition of a Falcon 9 upper stage for its deorbit manoeuvre after launching Starlink batch 28 (see the investigation report). The halos and bright point, with an elongated shape potentially representing satellites not yet dispersed, resembled sightings on 4 May 2021. A GEIPAN note explained those earlier events as the upper-stage deorbit burn after Starlink batch 25. Another launch on 26 May followed a similar timing and trajectory. A gas cloud from that day's Falcon 9 upper-stage deorbit ignition passed above southwestern France at about 22:55. Recordings from France and Spain matched the UAP's appearance, and GEIPAN found the stage's trajectory fully compatible with the view from Malrevers. It classified the case A: effects of the Falcon 9 upper-stage deorbit burn following Starlink batch 28. The source also links NOE (31) 26.05.2021, a GEIPAN case with a very similar description from the same date and time.