From January 28 to February 4, 2023, a high-altitude balloon originating from China flew across North American airspace, including Alaska, western Canada, and the contiguous United States. On February 4, the See more

Balloon
Size, propulsion, and payload
The balloon carried an underslung payload described as a "technology bay" estimated to be the size of "two or three school buses" and was powered by sixteen solar arrays See more

United States
Secretary of State Blinken postponed a scheduled diplomatic trip to China in response, which would have been the first such visit since 2018. … See more

Following the April 2023 Pentagon document leaks, The Washington Post uncovered additional information from a trove of classified files on Discord that had previously not been … See more

History and development of reconnaissance balloons
Balloons have been valued for their ability to observe the battlefield and direct artillery. Their usage … See more

The United States asserts sovereignty of the airspace above its territories. Like that of other countries, this right, up to the ill-defined boundary of space, is recognized by the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. Foreign aircraft are generally … See more

Another balloon was detected flying over Latin America. The Costa Rican General Directorate of Civil Aviation confirmed the incursion by an object "not of Costa Rican origin", which the locals had first seen on February 2. The Colombian Air Force said that on the morning … See more