Sighting in Vernoil-le-Fourrier, April 7, 2026

From home, the witness noticed a faint light in a clear sky at 10:14 pm. It moved in a straight line at constant speed without blinking. It looked like a stretched white segment and crossed the sky from the constellation Hercules toward Leo. There was only one witness account, but it was complete and came with usable photographs and videos. GEIPAN rated the case as moderately strange, with very good consistency.

The investigation showed that the witness had seen flares from satellites of the "Qianfan SpaceSail" internet megaconstellation, specifically a group of 18 satellites launched less than seven hours earlier by a Chinese "Long March 8" rocket into a near-polar orbit. The satellites were in an intermediate orbit, before moving to their final positions. They were visible because their structure reflected sunlight while the observer was in darkness. Many European accounts match this one, including another case reported to GEIPAN that confirms the overall appearance of the phenomenon. The orbital parameters gathered during the investigation confirm that the group passed within the witness's view along the path described. The case is classified A.