Sighting in Essais Dga — National, June 26, 2023

Several people reported the same phenomenon in the sky to GEIPAN: a sort of smoke or condensation trail that formed zigzags. Some of the sightings lasted a long time.

The investigation linked these reports to a test firing by the Direction générale de l'Armement, carried out from Biscarosse on the day of the observations. The test involved the VMaX hypersonic glider technology demonstrator, launched on a three-stage rocket. That rocket produced the trails. The zigzags came from the separation of the stages during the launch and from the systematic re-ignition of the upper stages; winds at altitude then finished shaping them.

Like the trails left by airliners, these trails can be seen over a large part of France, especially since the flight took place at very high altitude. They can also remain visible for several hours, depending on how they disperse, which depends on the wind and the temperature at altitude. GEIPAN classified the case as A: a trail left by a hypersonic sounding rocket.