Suspected Chinese spy balloon found over northern U.S.
Published on February 3, 2023
The US military is monitoring a high-altitude surveillance balloon of suspected Chinese origin over the continental United States. The balloon has been tracked for several days, with officials noting its unusually long stay.
The ‘stratospheric balloon’ is hovering at a ‘high-altitude’ above commercial planes. The balloon may thus catch the attention of those interested in the defense applications of high-altitude platform stations, or HAPS - systems operating above commercial flight paths but below the orbital altitude of satellites. The industry potential for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) through HAPS and AI-driven data analytics is currently experiencing new momentum.