ICA-UAP-D001, Analysis: Colorado Springs UAP Incident, 2022
- Date of account
- 2022
- Location
- Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
- Source
- uap_archive
- Record updated
- 2026-10-10
Record summary
This document contains analysis by an All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) Intelligence Community (IC) partner to account for a 2022 incident involving an airborne object near Colorado Springs, Colorado. U.S. military service members reported the incident to AARO in 2023. AARO’s IC partner assessed, with low confidence, that the reported phenomenon, which observers characterized as resembling an “angular, non-symmetrical potato,” was attributable to sunlight backscattering, where sunlight reflecting from mountain snow cover illuminated the underside of low-altitude clouds. This low-confidence assessment contributes to AARO’s consideration of the incident, which remains unresolved as of June 2026.
Published source text
Read the available text below. Archive transcriptions may contain OCR errors; later context is labelled separately. A recorded claim is not a finding that it happened.
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Source text · mention only- --- - SUBJECT: USA/Colorado: An Airborne Object Over Cheyenne Mountain in February 2022 was Possible Backscattering of Sunlight page 1 of 4
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Source text · mention only-- - page 2 page 2 of 4
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Source text · mention only- - - - -- page 3 An airborne object over Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado /was observed by five U.S. Army service members at Fort Carson, /Colorado at 0935 MNT on 15 February 2022, was possibly /backscattering of sunlight. has low confidence in this /assessment based on uncertainty in the field of view of each /witness, amount of snow cover, and exact elevation and amount of /cloud cover. No anomalous data or characteristics were recorded or /assessed, and the event did not represent an unknown adversarial /capability. / / According to the accounts of five U.S. Army service /members On 15 February 2022, an airborne object was observed /approximately 6 miles to the west over and slightly behind the /Cheyenne Mountain silhouette for approximately 30 - 180 seconds. /The witnesses describe the object as roughly the size of a large /jet and resembling an angular, non-symmetrical potato made of /uneven panels, which was completely stationary about 300-500 feet /above Cheyanne Mountain while slowly changing shape. It had a /slightly translucent, shimmering white appearance, with defined /edges and a milky shimmer that reflected sunlight. The witnesses /noted that the sky was clear, and despite keeping their eyes on the /object, it suddenly disappeared. / / At 0945 MST on February 15, 2022, in Colorado Springs, /the sun was positioned at an altitude of about 27.5 over the /horizon in the southeast sky and roughly at an azimuth of 125, /casting shadows toward the northwest and providing soft, angled /light. According historical the National Water and Climate Center /reporting, snow depth on Cheyenne Mountain likely ranged from 6 to /12 inches. Although witnesses reported clear, blue skies, multiple /weather reports, including those from AFWA and Weather Underground, /indicated the presence of clouds, suggesting that the skies were /partly to mostly cloudy that morning. / / Analysis possibly indicates that the positioning of the /sun in relation to Cheyenne Mountain would allow for backscattering /of sunlight reflecting off snow-covered ground. This reflection /could illuminate low-level clouds in the vicinity, which might /account for the visibility of the object followed by its sudden /disappearance. It is possible that either the clouds or the sun /shifted slightly, causing the reflection to vanish. has low /confidence in this assessment based on uncertainty in the field of /view of each witness, and exact level of cloud cover. / / Analyst Note: Altostratus clouds are a kind of mid-level cloud /known for their consistent gray or blue-gray appearance. These /clouds usually develop at altitudes ranging from 6,500 to 23,000 page 3 of 4
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Source text · mention only-- I ■ ■ page 4 /feet (about 2,000 to 7,000 meters) and can create a dense, uniform /layer across the sky or thin and wispy. While they often appear /opaque, altostratus clouds can permit some sunlight to pass /through, resulting in a luminous effect. Typically, the presence of /altostratus clouds suggests that precipitation is imminent, as they /may bring light rain or snow. / / Analyst Note: Backscattering is the phenomenon where sunlight /reflects off the snow-covered ground and reflects upwards, /scattering through the atmosphere and illuminate low-level clouds. /This is especially noticeable when the sun is low over the horizon. / No aircraft or balloons were noted active in or around /Cheyenne Mountain during the time the witnesses saw the airborne /object. / page 4 of 4
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