US tracking balloon spotted off coast of Hawaii

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by: Tyler Wornell

Posted: May 1, 2023 / 06:59 PM MDT

Updated: May 1, 2023 / 05:57 PM MDT

(NewsNation) — The U.S. government is tracking another unmanned balloon that was spotted Friday flying over Hawaii, officials said.

No action was taken against the balloon because it posed no threat to civilian aircraft or people on the ground, a Defense Department spokesman said.

The balloon was floating at about 36,000 feet, the altitude at which some commercial aircraft fly. NBC News and CBS News also reported the balloon detection.

“Ownership of the balloon is unknown, but there is no indication that it was maneuvering or being controlled by a foreign or adversarial actor,” a Pentagon spokesperson said in the statement. “Although it was flying at an altitude used by civil aviation, it posed no threat to civil aviation over Hawaii.”

There was also no danger to people on the ground and the balloon did not fly over defense infrastructure or government “sensitive” sites, the Pentagon said.

The balloon has left Hawaii’s airspace and is being tracked by the Defense Department and Federal Aviation Administration.

This comes after multiple high-altitude objects, including a suspected Chinese spy balloon, were shot down earlier this year.

NewsNation correspondent Evan Lambert contributed to this report.