How ‘off course’ the Chinese spy balloon went – See the NOOA map

A significant deterioration was noted in the already tense relations between the US and China, when a spy balloon of Chinese origin was spotted on American territory on Friday.

The relevant services were immediately alerted, while there was a strong reaction from the American government, which went as far as canceling the planned trip to China, of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

Beijing has argued that the balloon is not a spy and is being used for meteorological research. He added that he strayed far from his course, accidentally entering American territory.

Washington rejected Beijing’s claims, while there was also a protest from Canada, as the balloon also passed through territory belonging to the large North American country.

Authorities reviewed models of the path of the balloon, which traveled over Canadian soil before being spotted over the US town of Billings, Montana, on Wednesday.

According to the Americans, the balloon had passed over military areas, possibly recording and collecting evidence.

Dr Marina Miron, a defense studies researcher at Kings College London, says the balloon may have been more sophisticated than China claims.

“The balloon could be controlled remotely by an operator on the ground,” he says. “They could raise or lower the balloon’s altitude so that it can take advantage of different wind currents going in different directions.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has developed such a model (known as HYSPLIT) based on winds at altitudes above 14,000 meters (46,000 feet).

According to the calculations, the balloon that… went off course, traveled the route shown on the map below:

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