ICA · ICA-UAP-D001
Colorado Springs UAP, Intelligence-Community Analysis (Backscattering Assessment)
This is a four-page intelligence-community analytic product assessing the same Cheyenne Mountain object reported by five US Army service members and documented in the FBI cluster (FBI-UAP-D001, D002, D003). The redacted analyst assesses, with explicitly stated low confidence, that the object was "Possible Backscattering of Sunlight" off snow-covered ground illuminating low-level cloud, and concludes the event "did not represent an unknown adversarial capability."
Key excerpts
“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. [redacted] 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. (p. 2 to p. 3)”
“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. (p. 3)”
Alternative hypotheses
Backscattering of sunlight off snow illuminating low cloud
the ICA's own low-confidence assessment, most probable on this record).
Lighter-than-air or conventional aircraft
Genuine unidentified object