GEIPAN

GEIPAN
Study and Information Group on Unidentified Aerospace Phenomena
Groupe d'Études et d'Informations sur les Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés
AbbreviationGEIPAN
Formation1977
FounderClaude Poher
TypeNonprofit
Location
Parent organization
French Space Agency
Websitegeipan.fr
Formerly called
GEPAN, SEPRA

GEIPAN (an acronym for Groupe d'Études et d'Informations sur les Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés or Unidentified Aerospace Phenomenon Research and Information Group)(/ɡaɪˈpɑːn/), is a unit of the French Space Agency CNES whose brief is to investigate unidentified aerospace phenomena (UAP),[1] and make its findings available to the public. The group, formerly known as GEPAN[2] from 1977 to 1988 and SEPRA[3] from 1988 to 2004, has been named GEIPAN since September 2005.

The French Gendarmerie was instructed to channel data from reports of UFO sightings to SEPRA, which therefore was in a position to draw on a large database of such events. In cases where physical traces appeared to be present, SEPRA could call on the technical resources of CNES to perform a thorough scientific investigation. A famous example of such an investigation was in the Trans-en-Provence Case.

In March 2007, GEIPAN started to make its archives available online to the public. The same year, French skeptics have criticized the quality of their investigative work, arguing the sightings are too quickly filed as unidentified.[4] On March 26, 2007, the CNES own report says 28% of sightings remain unidentified.[5]

More recent reports of GEIPAN estimate the unidentified sightings at around 3%.[6][7]

  1. ^ GEIPAN is clearly focused on UFO study, but UAP (PAN in french) is meant to cover a much broader area than UFO (OVNI in french) as UFO may imply the presence of a physical object despite any actual evidence of it.
  2. ^ GEPAN stands for Groupe d'Étude des Phénomènes Aérospatiaux Non-identifiés (unidentified aerospace phenomenon research group)
  3. ^ SEPRA formerly stood for Service d'Expertise des Phénomènes de Rentrée Atmosphérique (atmospheric re-entry phenomena expertise department) and since 2000 stands for Service d'Expertise des Phénomènes Rares Aérospatiaux (rare aerospace phenomena expertise department)
  4. ^ Rossoni, D., Maillot, E., & Déguillaume, E. (2007). Les ovnis du CNES – 30 ans d’études officielles. www.book-e-book.com. (extracts from the book in French) Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine. Critical skeptical investigations of GEPAN's work.
  5. ^ CNES report, March 26, 2007
  6. ^ Costes, Vincent (2022-11-03). "Ovnis : comment travaillent les scientifiques pour étudier les phénomènes aérospatiaux non identifiés". The Conversation. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
  7. ^ "Geipan | GEIPAN". www.cnes-geipan.fr. Retrieved 2023-12-14.