Balloon floating over US was hobbyist craft, DOD confirms

The incident caused NORAD fighter jets to scramble, and concerns were raised that the UFO could have been yet another Chinese spy balloon.

An official with the Department of Defense confirmed to CBS News that the object was a hobbyist balloon.

The balloon was initially seen by NORAD when it passed over Colorado. It had been traveling in an eastward drift and adhering to the trajectory of the jetstream.

On Friday, the hobbyist craft was intercepted by NORAD fighter jets. It had been hovering over Utah when it was intercepted by the nation's airspace watchdogs.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command told the network that federal investigators monitored the small balloon, which was ascending between 43,000 and 45,000 feet until it crossed international borders.

Despite the lack of information regarding the balloon's origin, authorities were quick to ascertain that the balloon "posed no threat to flight safety."

The balloon appeared to be made of Mylar, according to one official, who said that it also contained a small cube-shaped box hanging below its surface.

On Friday, United States officials announced that the US Military had been tracking a high-altitude balloon seen flying over the Western part of the country.

This discovery came one year after Chinese spy balloons invaded US airspace amid increasing tensions between the US and the CCP.

Chinese officials originally said the balloon was a civilian weather vessel that accidentally entered US airspace after it had drifted from its charted course.

The US State Department rebuked the CCP's claim and said that the balloon was fitted with large solar panels that could power "an array of intelligence-collection sensors" and added that "the manufacturer of the balloon has a direct relationship with the Chinese military."

The invasion of the spy aircraft created a headache for President Biden. He had been criticized by Congressional Republicans for allowing the balloon to drift over the United States for nearly one week before it had been shot down off the coast of South Carolina.