1956 UAP Sighting — AARO Records (D196P41)
In late 1956, the USAF initiated the WS-117L satellite reconnaissance program, later known as CORONA. The program, which involved film-return vehicles, became a high priority after the launch of Sputnik and was jointly managed by the CIA and USAF.
Background
A UFO/UAP incident extracted from page 41 of AARO Historical Record Report Vol 1 2024, an All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) document published in 2024-2025. The incident is dated Late 1956 and located in Unknown location.
What the document records
In late 1956, the USAF initiated the WS-117L satellite reconnaissance program, later known as CORONA. The program, which involved film-return vehicles, became a high priority after the launch of Sputnik and was jointly managed by the CIA and USAF.
Witnesses on file: USAF.
Status of the case
The page-level assessment recorded in the document is: no agency assessment. AARO designates unresolved cases as those for which the agency has not concluded the events were anomalous, has not concluded they were conventional, and has not ruled out either possibility. Conventional candidates for sightings of recent periods include drones, classified test platforms, satellite re-entry, balloon traffic, atmospheric optical phenomena, and astronomical objects.