US Military Tracked Down The Chinese Spy Balloon In Montana

A balloon of Chinese origin has been discovered in the stratosphere near military installations in the US state of Montana.

Spy Balloon Over Montana.Photo byChase Doak via REUTERS

A balloon thought to have come from China has been spotted in the stratosphere over the United States. This was first reported by NBC and later by other US media. It is suspected that the balloon is used for espionage because it stays in the vicinity of sensitive military installations in Montana for an unusually long time. Images of the balloon show a payload powered by solar cells. The balloon travels above the airspace used by passenger aircraft and does not pose a threat to civil aviation.

The Balloon Was Observed By AWACS

The US military decided not to launch the balloon so as not to endanger the population from falling debris and projectiles. Instead, the balloon was observed by AWACS radar surveillance aircraft and other means. In addition, measures were taken to avoid disclosing more information about the systems than the Chinese military is likely to know from spy satellites anyway.

Balloons from China are said to have been observed in US airspace several times in the past, but not as controlled as in this case. The balloons are not controlled by their own drive, but by changing the flight altitude until a layer of air with the wind in the right flight direction is found. Google used a similar technique with the now-defunct Project Loon, in which high-altitude balloons were designed to do the job of satellites similar to SpaceX's Starlinks.

The Balloon Was Set To Capture High-Resolution Images

In contrast to stratospheric balloons, spy satellites are around 10 to 20 times greater distance from the earth's surface. This enables the balloons to take high-resolution images with comparatively small optics. For example, a conventional telephoto lens or telescope with a diameter of 15 to 20 cm in a balloon can achieve the same resolution on the ground as a spy satellite with a 2.4-meter telescope mirror, such as the US KH-11 spy satellite are equipped with. The same applies to the performance of antennas in communication, as in Project Loon.

Balloons are much cheaper than satellites and can be built and launched in much larger numbers. Since the end of the project, the Aalyria company has been developing the Project Loon balloon technology for military purposes in the USA.