SAN JOSE, CALIF.⎯ On Feb. 1, 2023, an unidentified balloon flew over and was spotted in Montana. Afterward, the U.S. and Canadian National Defense Council claimed its origin was from China. The balloon was quickly dealt with after the U.S. sent an F-22 to down the balloon on Feb. 4. After it was reported to be equipped with Surveillance equipment and was actively spying over the U.S. 

The balloon itself was carrying a payload the size two school buses and had its own solar array to power itself. It was also estimated to weigh over 2 thousand pounds by NORAD (The Joint Air Defense pact by the U.S and Canada) and equipped with an antenna array used to collect the signal waves and relay them back.

The Chinese government urged the U.S to not shoot it down as it was a “Civilian Airship” used for meteorology and to not be shot down over the goodwill of the Chinese people.

After the destruction of the balloon, the government retaliated by saying that the U.S. has encroached on its sea and air space before and that it will take actions to preserve and protect the airspace. 

Another balloon was also spotted flying over Latin America and flew over Colombian airspace, Columbia concluded that the object bore no threat to national security and let it continue its flight path until it left the airspace.

The U.S responded by warning and briefing forty other embassies of the spy balloon in an effort to condemn China’s espionage. And further efforts to condemn China by the House of Representatives which voted 419-0 in a resolution to sanction China which was an export blacklist of 6 Chinese companies which had connections to the spy balloon.

Later between Feb, 10th to 12th NORAD identified 3 other high-altitude objects flying over Deadhorse Alaska, Yukon Territory, and Lake Huron; the objects were shot down subsequently. But the U.S. has claimed they have no relations with China and are still investigating.  

The adverse effects of the sanctions and tense relations between the U.S. and China could have an effect on Silicon Valley itself, the U.S. plans to increase sanctions on China which could disrupt the important electronic trade between the tech companies of Silicon Valley.