The U.S. Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration detected an unmanned high-altitude balloon off the coast of Hawaii on Sunday which is currently heading toward Mexico.
A spokesperson from the DoD explained that while it is unknown who owns the balloon, there is no indication that it is being controlled, per CBS News. Flying at approximately 36,000 feet, it has not passed within sight of any sensitive or critical areas.
Since spotting the balloon on April 28, DoD officials have determined that it poses no threat and will not intervene in its movements.
Both federal agencies are nonetheless monitoring the unidentified object, which is no longer in U.S. airspace.
While China is not believed to be behind this balloon, the country is alleged as having gathered intelligence via a surveillance balloon in early February.
As The Dallas Express reported, the object traversed the entire country before President Joe Biden ordered it to be shot down. It sunk off the coast of South Carolina, but did considerable damage to U.S.-Chinese relations.
While China claimed the balloon was a civilian craft that had gone off-course, the U.S. responded with sanctions slapped on six entities alleged to be linked to the country’s aerospace programs, as The Dallas Express reported.
In the following months, the U.S. drew further ire from China by reinforcing its military ties with Taiwan and the Philippines, as The Dallas Express previously covered. Both island nations are implicated in territorial disputes with Beijing in the South China Sea.
Yet the balloon episode has also stirred up tensions at home, with members of the GOP criticizing the Biden administration for its handling of the situation.
These criticisms have been exacerbated by the recent leak of confidential documents suggesting that U.S. military intelligence officials knew much more about the alleged Chinese spy balloon program than was publicly disclosed, as The Dallas Express reported.
Five balloons were reportedly spotted by the DoD and given names based on historic mob bosses. The balloon shot down in February was named “Killeen-23″ after Donald Killeen of South Boston.
The balloons allegedly flew over and gathered intelligence on areas that are critical to national defense, including a group of U.S. naval vessels.