Did a UFO nearly hit the ISS? What the video actually shows
A UFO researcher claims NASA footage shows a 7-meter glowing object passing 25 meters from the International Space Station as a Dragon cargo ship arrived. The figures are only his estimates, the footage’s origin is unclear, and NASA has reported no dangerous approach.
The claim
Scott Waring, who posts UFO sightings on a site called UFO Sightings Daily, shared a video on November 1. He says the footage comes from a NASA broadcast showing a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship approaching the space station, and that a glowing object can be seen in it. Waring estimates the object was about 7 meters across and passed 25 meters from the station, which he says could have posed a serious danger. He also claims to have seen other unidentified objects near the Dragon.
The story was picked up by several foreign outlets, including Greek and British sites.
What we know about the footage
According to Greece's Athens News, the footage was recorded in October during a Dragon approach. That month, on October 15, SpaceX's CRS-35 cargo Dragon docked with the ISS, carrying more than 2,800 kilograms of food, research equipment and supplies. IBTimes UK, however, pointed out that the footage's origin, recording date and authenticity remain unresolved.
NASA has not reported any dangerous approach to the station by an unknown object, and there are no reports of an avoidance maneuver or any crew response.
Distance is the weak point
The 7-meter size and 25-meter distance are Waring's own estimates. A single video can't reliably show how far an object is from the camera. Camera perspective can make a distant object look close, and an object's apparent speed on video doesn't reveal its actual speed.
Why do "UFOs" show up in space station footage?
NASA has said that reflections from station windows, the spacecraft's structure and lights from Earth commonly appear in footage. Former NASA engineer James Oberg says many such sightings are harmless paint chips, dust or ice flakes. According to Oberg, the unfamiliar vantage point – high speed, weightlessness and a curving Earth in the background – makes ordinary things look strange.
The sober take
What is established: Scott Waring published a video on November 1 showing a glowing object near a Dragon spacecraft, and NASA has reported no dangerous approach.
What is not proven:
- Where and when the footage was recorded.
- The object's size and distance: both are Waring's estimates and can't be measured from a single video.
- That the object was near the station at all, rather than close to the camera or much farther away.
Possible everyday explanations:
- Space debris or another human-made spacecraft.
- An imaging artifact.
Bottom line: there's no evidence of a close encounter, and none that the object is extraterrestrial.