  Long gamma-ray bursts (GRB), explosions of very massive stars, provide
crucial information on stellar and galaxy evolution, even at redshifts z ~ 8 -
9.5, when the Universe was only 500-600 million years old. Recently, during
observations of a galaxy at a redshift of z ~ 11 (400 million years after the
Big Bang), a bright signal, named GN-z11-flash, shorter than 245 s was detected
and interpreted as an ultraviolet flash associated with a GRB in this galaxy,
or a shock-breakout in a Population III supernova. Its resulting luminosity
would be consistent with that of other GRBs, but a discussion based on
probability arguments started on whether this is instead a signal from a
man-made satellite or a Solar System object. Here we show a conclusive
association of GN-z11-flash with Breeze-M upper stage of a Russian Proton
rocket on a highly elliptical orbit. This rules out GN-z11-flash as the most
distant GRB ever detected. It also implies that monitoring of a larger sample
of very high redshift galaxies is needed to detect such distant GRBs. This also
highlights the importance of a complete database of Earth satellites and
debris, which can allow proper interpretation of astronomical observations.
