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Almost exactly one year after three UFOs were shot down over the United States, another “balloon” was tracked across the country’s skies. It was spotted on Friday, February 23. The Department of Defense and NORAD have since provided an explanation for what they believe the UFO really was. 

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The Department of Defense & NORAD Believe the UFO Was a Hobbyist Balloon

On Friday, February 23, the balloon-shaped object was spotted flying over the western U.S. at a high altitude between 43,000 and 45,000 feet, CBS News reported. 

A U.S. official told CBS News that the object appeared to be a Mylar balloon traveling with a cube-shaped boxing hanging from it, CBS News reported. ABC 11 reported that an official said the balloon was 50-feet tall and carried an “unknown” payload. 

NORAD said in an official statement that the object was intercepted over Utah and NORAD fighters “determined it was not maneuverable and did not present a threat to national security. NORAD will continue to track and monitor the balloon. The FAA also determined the balloon posed no hazard to flight safety.” 

NORAD says it's just a balloon…. pic.twitter.com/QF5T0t83Zn

— Barnett Parker KOMO TV (@BarnettParker) February 23, 2024

The Department of Defense told CBS on Saturday, February 24, that the object was a hobbyist balloon. In a statement on Saturday, NORAD also said it was a “likely hobby balloon.” 

NORAD tracked the object and it was allowed to leave the U.S. airspace. 

The Twitter account Emergent Perspective, who says in their bio that they are a NORAD veteran, said it exited the U.S. over South Carolina and “is currently over the Atlantic Ocean.” 

#NORAD Update: from NOAA reports, it appears the Balloon exited U.S. airspace over South Carolina and is currently over the Atlantic Ocean.

No statement has been released about the origin or identity of the balloon. pic.twitter.com/vIwGvgDEqB

— Emergent Perspective (@_emergent_) February 24, 2024

They also believed the UFO shootdowns last year were calls made by the administration, not NORAD, and NORAD might not have shot down the objects on their own accord. 

Interestingly, NORAD’s Twitter account has not made any statements about the object. 

Questions Still Remain About UFO Objects Shot Down Last Year

We’re unlikely to learn anything more about the UFO balloon, since questions still remain about the three UFOs that were shot down last year around this time. 

The three UFO shootdowns all took place after the Chinese spy balloon was shot down on February 4. 

• A UFO was shot down over Deadhorse, Alaska, on February 10. It was reportedly the size of a small car, flying at 40,000 feet, cylindrical and silver-gray in color, and may have interfered with pilots’ sensors (according to pilots who tracked it.) Pilots got visuals and images of the object that have not been released. NORAD said NORTHCOMM shot down the object, whose debris was never found. A local from Alaska shared videos of the search for the debris, but he later took his videos down. 
• The 2nd UFO was shot down in the Canadian Yukon on February 11. According to a Trudeau memo, its method of propulsion was not verified. It was shot down by NORAD, was smaller than the other baloon, and debris was not found. 
• The 3rd UFO was shot down on February 12 over Lake Huron. It was octagon shaped, shot down by NORTHCOMM (not NORAD), may have had strings attached, and was larger and easier to pick up by radar. It was flying at 20,000 feet and the search for debris was called off, with nothing found. 

There was speculation that the second UFO may have been a hobbyist balloon, but this was not confirmed. 

The footage of the shootdowns remains classified. A Defense Department spokesman told Fox New in late March 2023: “The footage of the high altitude objects and the takedown of those objects exists… (but) none of that footage has been cleared for release… The footage remained classified.”

In early August 2023, NORAD told Barnett Parker of KOMO TV that they don’t have a gun-camera video to release because the targeting system that took the video is classified.

NORAD conducted multiple air defense exercises after the shootdowns. 

In October 2023, journalist Ross Coulthart revealed that multiple witnesses told him there was more to the first UFO shot down over Alaska, and he needed to take a deeper look into the incident. See our story about Coulthart’s revelation here.

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Stephanie

Stephanie Dwilson started Post Apocalyptic Media with her husband Derek. She's a licensed attorney and has a master's in science and technology journalism. You can reach her at [email protected].

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