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The other objects are still somewhat of a mystery.
U.S. officials said these most recent objects did not pose a military threat, but their proximity to sensitive defense sites and the altitude at which they were flying raised concerns and posed a risk to civilian aviation.
U.S. officials said they don’t know who owns the objects, where they came from or what their purpose is.
Here’s what we do know about the objects.
Where were the “unidentified objects” shot down?
The U.S. shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4. On Friday, the U.S. military downed a “high-altitude object” that was flying over Alaska. A U.S. military jet shot down another unidentified airborne object over Canada in Yukon territory on Saturday. And the U.S. took down a fourth object over Lake Huron in Michigan on Sunday.
How did the U.S. shoot down the objects?
Air Force F-22 and F-16 jet fighters used Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles to down the objects spotted flying over Yukon territory, Alaska and Michigan. A jet shot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon using the same type of missile.
How were the objects over Alaska, Michigan and the Yukon territory different from the suspected Chinese spy balloon?
The Chinese balloon that crossed the U.S. carried antennas and sensors for collecting intelligence and communications, officials said. China has said the balloon was used for “research, mainly meteorological, purposes” and had blown off course. That balloon was 200 feet tall and carried an array of equipment the size of a small airplane.
U.S. officials said the object that was shot down over Alaska didn’t appear to belong to any government, and they didn’t know who owned it. This object was about the size of a small car.
Canadian Defense Minister Anita Ananddescribed the object shot down over Yukon territory as cylindrical. She said it appeared to be smaller than the downed Chinese balloon.
U.S. officials said the fourth object was about the same size as the one shot down in Alaska and the one downed over Yukon territory.
Have officials collected the remains of the three unidentified objects?
Retrieving the shot-down objects has been a challenge. Collection of the objects has been slowed by severe weather and terrain, U.S. military officials said Monday. Officials believe the first remains of an object will be pulled out of Lake Huron and quickly sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation lab in Quantico, Va., for analysis.
How many suspected spy balloons have there been and what data could they be collecting?
The first balloon, shot off the coast of South Carolina, is the only confirmed spy balloon at this point, according to U.S. officials. The balloon carried sensors for collecting intelligence and communications, and was also equipped with multiple antennas, including an array likely capable of pinpointing the location of communications, U.S. officials said.
What has the U.S. government said so far?
Aside from the first balloon, U.S. officials have yet to determine who launched the objects and what their purpose is.
Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, said at a news conference Sunday that he wouldn’t categorize the last three objects shot down by the U.S. as balloons even though some U.S. officials have.
“These are objects,” said Gen. VanHerck. “I am not able to categorize how they stay aloft. It could be a gaseous type of balloon inside a structure or it could be some type of a propulsion system. But clearly, they’re — they’re able to stay aloft.”
When asked if extraterrestrials might be involved, Gen. VanHerck responded that he would leave that to intelligence agencies to address, but said, “I haven’t ruled anything out.”
There has been no indication that aliens or extraterrestrial activity are involved with these objects, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday.
The White House said Monday it is creating a task force to study airborne objects and the potential security and safety risks they pose. It would include members of the Pentagon, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies..
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