Sighting in Walscheid, July 16, 2022

At around 11:30 pm, the witness and a friend were looking at the sky when they noticed a bright white circle crossing it in a straight line at low altitude. It eventually vanished into the clouds. The witness put its apparent size at that of the Moon. They took two photos, but both are too blurred to be of any use.

Only one account was collected. It was well detailed, which gave the case a medium level of consistency. The witness had given three different times (11 pm, 11:30 pm and around midnight); they confirmed 11:30 pm by phone, three months after the event.

The GEIPAN investigation concluded that the witnesses very probably saw the International Space Station. The object's appearance (brightness, colour, straight path) matches that of the ISS, as the witness had noted themselves. The ISS was indeed in the sky between 11:44 and 11:51 pm, about fifteen minutes after the reported time, a margin of error that is acceptable. The apparent size mentioned very probably refers to how the light looked in the photos, out of focus and circular, rather than to what was seen with the naked eye. The case is classified A.