An account in Bouches-du-Rh�ne, France

The witness observes at 11:10 PM a light that burns out leaving a white trail in the sky, over several hundred meters. The observation lasts 5 seconds. No other testimony is collected. The witness thinks it is an atmospheric re-entry. A light that burns out leaving a white trail in the sky, over several hundred meters, suggests a flare rocket (see a video of a flare rocket). The persistent trail (smoke) is fairly characteristic of this type of device; the smoke would have remained visible because it was lit by the city lights. The witness, located in the city of Marseille, observes toward the sea, to the West: in that direction are the old port, the MUCEM, the Frioul islands (Château d'If). One can imagine multiple origins for launches of this kind of rocket: summer celebrations, or distress rocket launches (which are a priori red) from boats. For information, atmospheric re-entries of space debris do not leave persistent trails at low altitude. GEIPAN classifies this case "B": probable observation of a flare rocket.