Rocket Launch Trail Misidentified as UFO Over Xi'an

Early Friday morning, videos surfaced online depicting an unidentified flying object (UFO) above the Xi'an city wall in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. These videos sparked immediate interest and speculation.

However, the nature of the object was quickly clarified. Official sources confirmed that the visual phenomenon was, in fact, a rocket trail. The trail was left by a launch that occurred at 4:45 am on Friday.

The launch was conducted from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. A modified Long March-6 carrier rocket was used to deploy a new group of low-earth orbit (LEO) Internet satellites, identified as Group 04. The mission was deemed a complete success, with the satellites smoothly entering their intended orbit.

The video accompanying the report showed an object with a long, trailing tail. It ascended diagonally from the left side of the horizon before eventually disappearing from sight.