02.18N 162.09W (Pacific), December 1962December 1962

On December 31, 1962, a ship in the Pacific Ocean reported seeing a bright object in the night sky. The location was 2.18 degrees North latitude and 162.09 degrees West longitude, in the middle of the ocean hundreds of miles from land. The observer aboard the USS Matagorda saw a small, bright object about as bright as a second-magnitude star (a moderately bright star visible to the naked eye). The object appeared at an elevation of 39 degrees above the horizon and moved on a course of 055 degrees true (roughly northeast). The witness could see it without optical aids like binoculars or a telescope. The sky had moderate cloud coverage, with high stratus clouds (a thin, uniform layer of clouds).

The Air Force received the report and noted in its evaluation that all available indications suggested the object was a satellite. The case file indicates that radar echo data was not available to help confirm this assessment. The object disappeared from view after a brief observation period.

The full case file is reproduced below as held by the National Archives and consists of 18 pages.