U.S. Releases 1996 Shuttle Photos Showing Unidentified Object in Low Earth Orbit

Overview

• The U.S. Department of War publicly released three archival photos on July 10, 2026 that were taken by astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Columbia during the STS-80 mission in late 1996.
• The images show the object near the shuttle and Earth, with one frame suggesting the object rotated and another showing it superposed on the planet.
• Government analysis released with the photos says the object continued on a path between Columbia and Earth but provides no identification or evidence of extraterrestrial origin.
• The photos are part of the Pursue program’s fourth tranche of UAP records, a coordinated effort by the Department of War and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to disclose anomalous-phenomena files.
• Officials have said more related files and videos will be published in phases, a step tied to the administration’s stated push for greater transparency about unexplained aerial and space incidents.