I’m wondering if Space Force isn’t jamming satelites over our airspace so they are forced to resorting to the balloon solution as a last ditch effort.
There is a perspective out there that the baloon visit is China’s wordless answer to the US provocations demonstrated by Pelosi poking the bear, and the subsequent US MIL build up around Taiwan. Few nations want to be seen as impotent following an undiplomatic insult, followed up by MIL presence.