UP, Up and Away... USA Shot it Down - US officials released details on the Chinese spy balloon shot down Saturday as investigators began to analyze the parts of the craft collected from the ocean’s surface. The main electronics payload, reportedly the size of a midsize plane, has not yet been recovered from where it sank.
Officials claimed the spy balloon (see history) was equipped with several antennas and solar panels, enough to indicate the presence of multiple intelligence collection systems, likely including high-resolution photography and audio collection of both encrypted and public signals. Analysts observed the craft’s trajectory and traced a path proximate to several sensitive US military sites (see map).
The system is said to be part of a much larger Chinese program of spy balloons known to have surveilled at least 40 countries. Officials believe the order did not come directly from President Xi Jinping.