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Chinese spy balloon that traversed US airspace was packed with American tech: report
NY Post ^ | 2/11/25 | Isabel Keane

Posted on 02/11/2025 3:47:18 PM PST by Libloather

The Chinese balloon that sparked panic when it flew over the US two years ago was, as long suspected, set up to spy on Americans — but surprisingly with US-made technology, according to a new report.

The 200-foot-tall balloon was loaded with a satellite communication module, sensors and other technology from at least five American firms, two sources with direct knowledge of a classified US military report told Newsweek.

The craft — which floated from Alaska over Canada and into the US Midwest before it was shot down off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, 2023 — could have collected detailed data on oblivious Americans, the sources said, citing what was discovered in parts of the recovered balloon.

That included tech to survey, take photographs and collect other intelligence data — and even launchable gliders that could have flown on other recon missions, the sources said, citing the classified military report.

“A Chinese company would not have given them a full satcom [satellite communications] coverage of the US,” said one of the sources, a former federal intelligence employee.

The technology matched a patent awarded in 2022 to scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Aerospace Information Innovation Research Institute in Beijing, which has links to China’s military, according to Newsweek, which said it was briefed on the report but did not see it directly.

Included in the patent, titled “A high-altitude balloon safety control and positioning recovery device and method,” was a short-burst messaging module called Iridium 9602, Newsweek reported.

Module maker Iridium is a global satellite communications provider whose command post is in McLean, Va. — mere miles from CIA headquarters, the report noted.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; China; Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: american; balloon; chinese; spy
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Brandon let it finish the mission. Let's go Brandon.
1 posted on 02/11/2025 3:47:18 PM PST by Libloather
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To: Libloather

How did this get past the export controls?

Oh, never mind.

L


2 posted on 02/11/2025 3:49:18 PM PST by Lurker ( Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: Lurker

pretty easy if the Big Guy gets 10%.


3 posted on 02/11/2025 3:51:03 PM PST by BipolarBob (My pet termites name is Clint. Clint Eatswood.)
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To: Libloather

4 posted on 02/11/2025 3:52:49 PM PST by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is opinion or satire. Or both.)
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To: Lurker

The entire design of this ballon was based on stolen US technology.

There were a few engineers in the US who thought Hmmm, where have I seen that one before


5 posted on 02/11/2025 3:54:51 PM PST by rdcbn1 (TV )
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To: Lurker

The entire design of this ballon was based on stolen US technology.

There were a few engineers in the US who thought Hmmm, where have I seen that one before


6 posted on 02/11/2025 3:54:53 PM PST by rdcbn1 (TV )
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To: Libloather

How exactly do we know it came from China and wasn’t some fear porn drama launched by DC? A balloon still seems like an odd spy vehicle. Especially when, AS EMPLOYEES, they are crawling all over DOD, Big Tech, our telecoms, all of our universities, our National Labs, etc and as drivers for half our politicians.

It’s hard to see what more a barely controllable balloon would give them.

It almost has the feel of a panic set off by DC so they can shoot it down and “protect us”.


7 posted on 02/11/2025 3:56:04 PM PST by DesertRhino (2016 Star Wars, 2020 The Empire Strikes Back, 2025... RETURN OF THE JEDI...)
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To: Libloather

They know where to get the good stuff...
Satellite communications module for a balloon that “wasn’t collecting any data”...


8 posted on 02/11/2025 3:56:42 PM PST by bigbob (Yes. We ARE going back!)
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To: Libloather
The 200-foot-tall balloon was loaded with a satellite communication module,

At 60,000 ft. and an alleged payload of 2000 lbs, I'm still waiting for an explanation from our govt. as to what propulsion system was being used to propel it across the US.......

At that altitude, it sure as hell wasn't propeller driven.

Until proven wrong, I still contend it was just a weather balloon event that was blown out of proportion........

9 posted on 02/11/2025 4:03:23 PM PST by Hot Tabasco
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To: All

All these reports are filled with “could have”.

Use common sense. If you’re in command of the Chinese orbital recon assets and someone comes in and proposes a mission over the US, on a random course-path given no talk of propulsion, and it’s a big balloon, which is going to obscure satellite vision of the ground at both visible light and radio frequencies — how in hell is that mission not laughed out of the room?

Why would they have a balloon that is on a random path obscure their satellites and call that a data gathering mission?

My recall is the chief honcho of their weather balloon program was fired amid this escapade. All it takes for a weather mission like this to wind up over the US is a failure of navigation or propulsion, leaving it at the mercy of high altitude winds. If you get such a failure and it creates an uproar, of course that’s who you fire.

And of course you have data transmission capability. How else would you get the weather data?


10 posted on 02/11/2025 4:15:05 PM PST by Owen
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To: Libloather

And the Bidenhole let the thing fly over. In a just world, that child kissing pedo, hairy-legged, low IQ no morals POS would be so far in jail that he’d never see the light of day.
I really hope that billions of people will line up to take bodacious Obamas on that turd’s grave when he passes.


11 posted on 02/11/2025 4:19:42 PM PST by Da Coyote
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To: Libloather; little jeremiah

Heads up


12 posted on 02/11/2025 4:23:13 PM PST by thinden (Buckle up …..)
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To: Libloather

Which pretty much confirms it was a testing of a surveillance vehicle for civilian applications.


13 posted on 02/11/2025 4:48:31 PM PST by Jonty30 (Groundhogs don't falsify their predictions for grant money, whereas climate scientists do. )
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To: Libloather
What_The_Chenese_See
14 posted on 02/11/2025 4:54:41 PM PST by SkyDancer ( ~ Am Yisrael Chai ~)
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To: Libloather

Was it every verified to be a Chinese balloon?


15 posted on 02/11/2025 4:57:35 PM PST by iontheball
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To: Libloather
IMG-2007

16 posted on 02/11/2025 4:59:47 PM PST by dznutz
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To: Libloather

The recently pardoned and recent Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff retired General Milley should be subpeoned to testify before the Senate on how and why he handled this unmolested incusion of a Chinese spy ballon. He ought to be also asked about the Afghan withdrawal, his unprecedented relationship with his Chinese counterpart and the DEI initiatives in the armed forces under his watch.If he lies he can be arrested for perjury and despite his pardon would face prison.He, being the recipient of a pardon, cannot take the 5th.


17 posted on 02/11/2025 4:59:56 PM PST by allendale
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To: Libloather

Consider this balloon could have been used to dispense a Chinese bio weapon across the heartland of the country. Had the balloon not been spotted by civilians I’m certain the Biden Administration would have made no mention of its existence


18 posted on 02/11/2025 5:09:49 PM PST by The Great RJ
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To: Hot Tabasco

Look up Google project Loon. There are atmospheric rivers at stratospheric levels that cross the globe. By varying altitude you can go east , west ,north, or south at will. Google even got their balloons to do circles for weeks at a time over an area by catching winds at different levels. Google flew balloons around the world and even made the crossing from north to south of the equator multiple tomes. That is a feat given that the Hadley cells converge at the equator it takes real AI level.controls to do that obviously they succeeded. This is all with unpowered hydrogen filled balloons, why hydrogen well it has more lift per gram, only boomers fear it and you can make it with water and solar power or powdered metals like aluminum or lithium. The water ballast becomes more lift fuel for weeks if not months of lift time. Seriously Google project Loon it will blow your mind what modern AI , sat weather data and Sat comms can do.


19 posted on 02/11/2025 5:33:07 PM PST by GenXPolymath
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To: SkyDancer

Lol so accurate you just nailed most of fly over country. She is not big enough needs 50 more lbs on her , he is spot on though.


20 posted on 02/11/2025 5:39:37 PM PST by GenXPolymath
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