Spacecraft mistaken for UFO in Savigné-sur-Lathan

Summary

On a March 2009 evening, a resident of Savigné-sur-Lathan noticed a luminous object whose brightness and direction appeared to change as it crossed the sky. The description matched a spacecraft approaching the International Space Station, which docked the following day. The apparent direction change may have been an illusion caused by a chimney obstructing the observer's line of sight, while the colour and brightness shifts are consistent with solar reflection and horizon effects. GEIPAN classified the case as B: likely observation of the spacecraft and the ISS.