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What was mysterious 'comet' seen over India, Bangladesh?
09 May 2026

On May 8, a bright comet-like object with a long orange-white tail lit up the sky over Odisha, India. The sight was so spectacular that it was visible as far as Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, as per India Today.

The event took place between 6:30pm and 7:30pm IST when India launched a missile from its Integrated Test Range at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Chandipur.

Videos confirmed missile launch
Launch details

The missile launch was confirmed by videos that circulated on social media. The glowing contrail was a result of the missile's exhaust plume catching the last sunlight against the darkening sky.

This event is separate from a previous test on May 1, when India successfully tested a Long-Range Anti-Ship Hypersonic Missile.

NOTAM issued for vast airspace corridor
Corridor size

Before the May 8 launch, Indian authorities issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for a large airspace corridor of around 3,560km over the Bay of Bengal.

This is more than double the size of the exclusion zone declared for the May 1 test.

Such vast corridors are usually associated with longer-range systems, raising speculation about what was tested on May 8.

DRDO yet to identify what was tested
Unidentified missile

Despite the launch, neither the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) nor the Ministry of Defence has officially identified what was tested on May 8.

India usually announces conventional defense trials but remains silent on sensitive strategic tests.

However, it is confirmed that a real launch took place from Chandipur and all footage circulating online is authentic.