A video shared on Facebook allegedly shows a UFO floating in space above Earth during a NASA spacewalk. 

Facebook/Screenshot

Verdict: False

A NASA spokesperson confirmed to USA Today that the video depicts a shield that was intended to protect an unused port from space debris, not a UFO.

Fact Check:

NASA postponed the Artemis moon mission Saturday due do a hydrogen leak in the engine, according to CNBC. The postponement was the second time the launch had been called off with the first attempt being affected by a temperature problem in one of the shuttle’s engines, the outlet reported.

A Facebook video, garnering over 72,000 reactions, appears to show an object floating freely in space between an astronaut and Earth as astronauts attempt a spacewalk mission.

“Real UFO,” reads text shown in the video.

The object in the video is not a UFO. Rather, a reverse image search revealed the footage stems from a May 2017 YouTube video titled “Action Cam Footage from U.S. Spacewalk #41.”

“During the spacewalk, one of the shields was inadvertently lost,” the description reads in part. “The loss posed no immediate danger to the astronauts and Kimbrough and Whitson went on to successfully install the remaining shields on the common berthing mechanism port.”

The footage also appears in a March 2022 YouTube video titled “NASA Astronauts lose key piece of ISS Shield during Spacewalk – 4K with audio.”

NASA astronauts Peggy Whitson and Shane Kimbrough lost a fabric shield needed for the International Space Station, according to a March 2017 article from The Washington Post. The cover was the first large object lost during a spacewalk since 2008 when another astronaut lost her tool bag, The Guardian reported.

A spokesperson for NASA confirmed to USA Today that the object shown in the video was a shield intended to protect an unused port from space debris. (RELATED: No, This Is Not NASA Footage Of An Alien On The Moon)

This is not the first time a video claiming to show a UFO has gone viral. Check Your Fact previously debunked a claim that a video showed footage of a UFO flying in Antarctica.