The Chinese balloon was shot down by a fighter jet off the coast of the US state of South Carolina on February 4th, followed in the days that followed by a total of three other flying objects that have so far only been a mystery. It is unclear what they were doing in US and Canadian airspace and where they came from. The US military and White House even felt compelled to allay possible concerns about extraterrestrials. There was also speculation about a kind of major espionage offensive against the United States.
After several days, the US Army stopped its search for the remains of objects number two and three in the north of the country. No traces were found, as the United States Northern Command (Northcom), the army command for the north of the USA, announced on Friday evening (local time) via Twitter. According to the press release published there, federal investigators from the USA and the Canadian National Guard were also involved in the search.
Deep sea and arctic weather conditions
Both objects were shot down over the state of Alaska in the country’s far north and the vast Lake Huron, which crosses the US-Canada border. The rubble may never be discovered, it said. Lake Huron is almost 60,000 square kilometers in size and up to almost 230 meters deep.
A systematic search lasting several days with the help of aerial photographs and sensors did not bring any results, the army leadership said. In Alaska, arctic weather also made work difficult. Canadian authorities also participated in the operations. Object number three had been shot down over Canadian territory, but Northcom did not comment on it.
UFO speculation shattered
In any case, the explanations for the appearance of the mysterious objects, which the US military and secret services are currently assuming, are for the time being nullifying speculation about guests from space or disappointing hopes of finding traces of extraterrestrial life – and could be rather simple.
According to estimates by the secret services, the three objects most likely belonged to private companies or scientific institutions and were in the air for research purposes.
Suspected spy balloon recovered
US President Joe Biden said on Friday that these missiles were probably not linked to allegations of espionage against China. Washington raised this after the first flying object, a relatively large balloon, appeared earlier this month. After some hesitation, Washington decided to shoot it down.
It was assumed that the balloon should have collected information about US military bases in the northwest of the United States, the White House had spoken very quickly of a spy balloon. Beijing rejected the allegations and spoke of a civil research balloon or a weather balloon that had strayed from its course.
No detailed information
According to the army, the salvage of the parts from the Atlantic has been completed since Thursday (local time), as stated in a statement a day later. Now they are being investigated by the FBI’s counterintelligence agency.
Naval ships, helicopters and inflatable boats, supported by underwater drones, had systematically combed the launch area off the coast of North Carolina for days. Pictures showed pieces of fabric from the balloon, but there was no official information about the “found objects” in general.
