The Centre National d'Études Spatiales established the Groupe d'Étude des Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés on 1 May 1977 after reports surged following 1973–1974 European waves. Jacques Patenet and Claude Poher drafted the charter mandating rigorous collection of witness testimony, radar traces, film, and physical residues for multidisciplinary analysis.1
Evolution to SEPRA and GEIPAN
Budget fluctuations led CNES to rename the office Service d'Expertise des Phénomènes de Rentrée Atmosphérique in 1988, reducing scope to atmospheric re-entry events. Public pressure and parliamentary questions restored wider duties in 2005 under the present label GEIPAN. Data releases through an open database now list more than three thousand cases graded A to D by evidential strength.23
Methodology and Notable Findings
Teams combine aeronautics experts, police investigators, and meteorologists. Field technicians secure soil samples and residual debris, while the Air Force and civil aviation authorities provide radar plots. Analyses attribute roughly 70 percent of sightings to misidentifications, with seven percent remaining unexplained after exhaustive review.13