Le GEIPAN : Mission, histoire, méthodologie et classification

GEIPAN, a technical department of the French space agency CNES, collects, analyses, investigates, publishes and archives reports of unidentified aerospace phenomena (PAN). The paper outlines its evolution since 1977, the 2005 restructuring that added a public information mandate, and the step-by-step process: initial analysis, in-depth investigation, classification according to consistency and residual strangeness (A/B/C/D categories), anonymization, and public release of files. It emphasises scientific rigour, collaboration with experts, and transparency. Most reported cases are ultimately explained as aircraft, balloons, astronomical objects, or atmospheric phenomena; only a small percentage remain unidentified after thorough study, with no conclusion of extraterrestrial origin.