Luminous point with trail over Les Sables d'Olonne

Summary

In the early hours of 28 June 1989, a witness in Les Sables d'Olonne saw a bright point of light moving rapidly in a straight line from southwest to northeast. The phenomenon was silent and left behind a halo and a smoke trail that persisted for several minutes. About fifteen kilometres to the south, another witness described something very similar: an orange point that vanished leaving a small persistent cloud. Alerts issued by the Brest oceanographic service about possible missile debris from the Landes Test Centre make it likely that both witnesses observed one of those launches.