Michael Freie

Michael Freie is a Technical Advisor at the FAA Office of Air Traffic Surveillance Services who has been involved in analyzing unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) reports. He participated in NASA's first public meeting on UFOs, where he discussed the challenges posed by the proliferation of registered drones across the United States and their impact on air surveillance processes. Freie reported that there has been a significant increase in UAP reports submitted to the FAA, particularly following SpaceX's Starlink launches and the detection of a Chinese balloon in February 2023. He noted that more than 880,000 registered drones are in operation across the country with tens of thousands flown daily, creating substantial obstacles for distinguishing genuine anomalous phenomena from conventional aerial objects.