Drama in the skies over America: Aircrafts on alert

Drama in the skies over America: Aircrafts on alert

Military aircraft spotted the balloon and determined it did not pose a threat, but its origin and purpose are still unknown, officials said.

Sources familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the balloon was drifting eastward in the jet stream on Friday. Earlier in the day, an official said the balloon was over Colorado. Its presence caused enough concern that the military sent aircrafts to investigate.

The development comes a year after tensions between the US and China rose to new heights after a Chinese balloon carrying sophisticated spy equipment flew over the US mainland for several days.