The balloon entered U.S. airspace on January 28, flew over Alaska, made its way through Canada, and re-entered the U.S. over Montana. It continued its journey over several sensitive military sites, sometimes flying in figure-eight formations.
Officials knew the direction the balloon was taking and could proactively shut down its military communication systems to censor signals on the bases before the balloon could access them.
Shooting Down the Balloon
The Chinese spy balloon was eventually shot down on February 4 by the U.S. government. President Joe Biden gave the go-ahead to shoot down the spy balloon, which was the size of three school buses when it was over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina.
The U.S. Navy recovered what remains of the balloon. And the FBI is examining the debris. They are still trying to determine what algorithm was used for the balloon’s software.
After the balloon was shot down, Biden said the balloon was “not a major breach,” but he added, “It’s a violation of international law. It’s our airspace. And once it comes into our space, we can do what we want with it.”
