China's mysterious balloon, which is suspected of being a spy or surveillance device. had been shot down by the United States off the coast of South Carolina. It turned out to be very large in size.
The balloon was seen over US territory a few days ago. The Chinese said that the balloon was a weather observation or meteorological tool, and they regretted that it had strayed into US territory unintentionally.
Quoted from the BBC, Tuesday (7/2/2023) according to US officials, the balloon is about 60 meters high or the equivalent of a 12-15 story building. This balloon holds a payload the size of an airplane. A US defense official said the object's size and arrangement led to the decision not to fire at it on the ground.
"Imagine huge pieces of debris weighing hundreds or even thousands of kilograms falling from the sky," said Gen. Glen VanHerck. Currently, the US is still working to collect debris scattered off the coast of South Carolina.
The remains of the balloon have been collected from an area measuring approximately 1500 m by 1500 m, but it is thought that debris was scattered everywhere over a much larger area.
There are no plans to return the remainder of the balloons to China, but they will be analyzed by intelligence experts. A number of specialist vessels have been deployed to the area, including an oceanographic survey vessel which uses sonar and other means to map debris.
Gen VanHerck added the US was still working to determine if there was any hazardous material in the wreckage, such as explosives or battery components.
China itself accused the US of being careless when shooting the balloon. China considers the US overreacting and violating the spirit of international law.
The US believes the balloons were used to monitor sensitive military sites. Admiral Mike Mullen, however, dismissed China's suggestion that the balloon might have gone awry. "This is not an accident. This is intentional. That is intelligence," he added.
In today's satellite age, reconnaissance balloons – usually equipped with high-tech imaging equipment pointed downwards, apparently offer close-up monitoring.
Iain Boyd, professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, said such balloons are sometimes allowed to fly and wander following weather patterns but can be equipped with guidance equipment to control their path.