GEIPAN Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena Files

March 22, 2007 — CNES (French National Centre for Space Studies)

Overview

On March 22, 2007, France became the first major country to release its entire official UFO investigation files to the public. GEIPAN (Group for the Study and Information on Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena), a unit within the French space agency CNES, published decades of case files on the internet, temporarily crashing the CNES server due to overwhelming public demand.

The Database

The GEIPAN database contains thousands of cases collected since 1977, when the unit was originally established as GEPAN. Each case is classified into one of four categories:

• Type A: Fully identified phenomenon
• Type B: Probably identified phenomenon
• Type C: Insufficient data for analysis
• Type D: Unexplained despite thorough investigation

Type D Cases

Approximately 28% of cases in the GEIPAN database remained classified as Type D (unexplained) as of the initial release. These include cases with multiple credible witnesses, radar confirmation, physical trace evidence, and photographic documentation — cases that survived rigorous investigation by trained scientists and analysts.

Significance

France's release of its UFO files set a precedent that was followed by other nations including the United Kingdom, Brazil, Denmark, and New Zealand. The GEIPAN model — a permanent, government-funded, scientifically-staffed UFO investigation unit — remains the gold standard for official engagement with the phenomenon and was cited as a model during US Congressional UAP hearings.