Case files / western-us-event-2023
Orbs launching orbs
- When
- October 2023, over two days
- Where
- Near a sensitive national security site, western United States
- Reported by
- Three teams of federal law enforcement special agents
- Released
- Briefing slides May 8, 2026; AARO case update June 12, 2026
- Status
- Unresolved as of June 2026
According to the briefing slides in the first release, three teams of two federal special agents each independently described orange "orbs" that appeared at dusk and launched smaller red orbs, usually in groups of three. This happened at least five times. Each orange orb was visible for only a second or two before it disappeared.
The same briefing lists other sightings by the agents in the same area: a "large, fiery orb" perched near a rock pinnacle for about a minute, which AARO later measured at roughly 12 to 18 meters across, and two kite-shaped objects with red and white lights seen before dawn, one of which an agent thought was partly transparent.
AARO's update in the third release says the case remained unresolved as of June 2026.