U.S. Tracks New High-Altitude Balloon, One Year After Chinese Spy Balloon

 U.S. officials are tracking a high-altitude balloon floating over the Rocky Mountains, officials told CBS News Wednesday afternoon, just over a year after U.S. Air Force fighter jets shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon that drifted over the country, drawing national attention and sparking fears of a major Chinese surveillance operation

 While not much is yet known about the balloon, officials told CBS it was spotted by military aircraft over Colorado Friday morning.

The balloon is not believed to be a threat, though its purpose and origin remain a mystery.

Forbes has reached out to the Department of Defense for confirmation.

Just over a year ago, a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted over Montana, and while Defense Department Secretary Lloyd Austin assuaged Americans at the time it posed no civilian threat, its purpose remained shrouded in mystery, with some lawmakers urgently calling on the military to shoot it down. Days later, after the balloon had traversed from the Great Plains to the East Coast, Air Force fighter jets did shoot it down, but only after it crossed over the South Carolina coastline above the Atlantic Ocean, where U.S. Navy divers were able to recover the debris. After its recovery, U.S. officials determined the balloon was made with U.S. components as well as “specialized Chinese sensors,” the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed officials who added the balloon was capable of taking photos and videos that could be transmitted to China. The Biden administration condemned it as an “unacceptable and irresponsible” violation of international law, claiming the balloon was used to collect surveillance information. China denied that claim, maintaining the balloon was a “civilian airship” used simply for weather purposes, and that it had drifted astray.

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That balloon renewed tensions between Beijing and Washington and put the military on high alert for additional surveillance mechanisms, including a potential spy balloon spotted over the Great Lakes just one week later. U.S. military forces also shot down that balloon, this time over Lake Huron, though officials said that balloon was not a threat.