ICA-UAP-D001: Intelligence Community Analysis — Airborne Object Over Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado, February 2022

Source file: ICA-UAP-D001_Analysis_Colorado-Springs-UAP-Incident.pdf Originating agency: All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) Intelligence Community partner Subject: An Airborne Object Over Cheyenne Mountain in February 2022 was Possible Backscattering of Sunlight Date of incident: 15 February 2022, 0935 MST Reported to AARO: 2023 Classification: Redacted (partially declassified) Redaction: Heavy; page 2 is almost entirely blacked out; pages 1, 3, 4 partially readable Page count: 4 Status: Unresolved as of June 2026 PURSUE Release: 3

Summary

This is the first Intelligence Community (IC) analysis document in the PURSUE release series. It was produced by an unnamed AARO IC partner and examines a UAP sighting by five U.S. Army service members at Fort Carson, Colorado, on 15 February 2022 at approximately 0935 Mountain Standard Time. The witnesses were observing the area approximately 6 miles to the west, over and slightly behind the Cheyenne Mountain silhouette.

The document's subject line reads: "An Airborne Object Over Cheyenne Mountain in February 2022 was Possible Backscattering of Sunlight."

The assessment is explicit about its confidence level: the IC partner assessed the phenomenon with low confidence as attributable to sunlight backscattering from snow-covered mountain terrain illuminating low-altitude clouds. Multiple factors degraded confidence: uncertainty in each witness's field of view, uncertainty in the exact amount of snow cover, and uncertainty in the exact elevation and amount of cloud cover at the time.

The document also confirms: "No anomalous data or characteristics were recorded or assessed, and the event did not represent an unknown adversarial capability." No aircraft or balloons were noted active in or around Cheyenne Mountain during the observation window.

Research Article

The Incident: What the Witnesses Reported

According to the accounts of five U.S. Army service members at Fort Carson, on 15 February 2022, an airborne object was observed approximately 6 miles to the west over and slightly behind the Cheyenne Mountain silhouette for approximately 30–180 seconds.

The witnesses described the object as:

• Roughly the size of a large jet
• Resembling "an angular, non-symmetrical potato made of uneven panels"
• Completely stationary about 300–500 feet above Cheyenne Mountain
• Slowly changing shape
• Slightly translucent with a shimmering white appearance
• Having defined edges and "a milky shimmer that reflected sunlight"

The witnesses noted that the sky was clear. Despite keeping their eyes on the object, it suddenly disappeared.

The Analysis: Atmospheric Conditions

At 0945 MST on February 15, 2022 (approximately 10 minutes after the sighting), in Colorado Springs, the sun was positioned at an altitude of about 27.5 degrees over the horizon in the southeast sky at roughly azimuth 125 degrees, casting shadows toward the northwest. According to National Water and Climate Center historical reporting, snow depth on Cheyenne Mountain likely ranged from 6 to 12 inches at the time.

Despite witnesses reporting clear, blue skies, multiple weather reports — including those from AFWA and Weather Underground — indicated the presence of clouds, suggesting partly to mostly cloudy conditions that morning.

The analysis proposed that the positioning of the sun relative to Cheyenne Mountain would allow for backscattering of sunlight reflecting off snow-covered ground. This reflection, the analysis suggests, "could illuminate low-level clouds in the vicinity, which might account for the visibility of the object followed by its sudden disappearance. It is possible that either the clouds or the sun shifted slightly, causing the reflection to vanish."

An analyst note defines the relevant atmospheric phenomena: altostratus clouds (mid-level, 6,500–23,000 feet, consistent gray or blue-gray) can create dense uniform layers and permit some sunlight to pass through, resulting in a luminous effect. Backscattering is described as "the phenomenon where sunlight reflects off the snow-covered ground and reflects upwards, scattering through the atmosphere and illuminate low-level clouds. This is especially noticeable when the sun is low over the horizon."

Low Confidence and Open Questions

The IC partner explicitly assessed this explanation at low confidence, citing:

• Uncertainty in each witness's field of view
• Uncertainty in the amount of snow cover on Cheyenne Mountain at the time
• Uncertainty in the exact elevation and amount of cloud cover

The document confirms that no anomalous data or physical characteristics were recorded. No known aircraft or balloons were active in the area during the window. The incident was reported to AARO in 2023, approximately one year after it occurred.

As of June 2026, per the official blurb, AARO considers the incident unresolved.

Significance

This document is significant as the first declassified IC analytical product addressing a post-AARO-establishment UAP incident. Its format — a structured analysis with solar geometry calculations, atmospheric science annotations, and an explicit confidence rating — represents the contemporary IC methodology for UAP assessment: systematic, evidence-based, and appropriately humble about the limits of available data. The incident's location near Cheyenne Mountain, home of NORAD/USNORTHCOM, adds operational context. The "angular, non-symmetrical potato" description, while unusual, is documented verbatim and treated as a serious data point in the analysis. The low-confidence assessment and open unresolved status reflect AARO's stated commitment to transparency about what remains unknown.

Key Facts

Notable Quotes

"The witnesses describe the object as roughly the size of a large jet and resembling an angular, non-symmetrical potato made of uneven panels, which was completely stationary about 300-500 feet above Cheyenne Mountain while slowly changing shape." — ICA-UAP-D001, page 3

"[The IC partner] 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." — ICA-UAP-D001, page 3

"No anomalous data or characteristics were recorded or assessed, and the event did not represent an unknown adversarial capability." — ICA-UAP-D001, page 3