A Chinese spy balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast in 2023 was carrying tech from at least five American companies, a new report revealed.
The balloon’s recovered equipment included a satellite communication module, sensors, and other advanced surveillance tools. Some of the gear was housed in a foam cooler, according to Newsweek, citing sources familiar with a U.S. military analysis.
The Chinese balloon traveled from Alaska to the East Coast before the U.S. military shot it down over the Atlantic Ocean on Feb. 4, 2023.
China insisted it was a weather balloon, but U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed it was used for spying. Fortunately, there’s no evidence the captured data was transmitted back to Beijing.
The discovery of U.S.-made parts raises concerns about how commercially available technology can end up in the hands of America’s adversaries.
One piece of recovered tech was the Iridium 9602, a short burst messaging module made by Virginia-based Iridium Communications.
"We don’t condone our radios being used improperly," said Jordan Hassim, Iridium's executive director for communications. "There's no way for us to know how a specific module is being used. It could be tracking a whale, a polar bear, or even a mountain explorer."
Hassim added that if the company learned its device was misused, it would act fast with partners like the U.S. government to disable it.
The other U.S. companies identified in the balloon’s tech were Texas Instruments, Omega Engineering, Amphenol All Sensors Corp., and Onsemi. Swiss-based STMicroelectronics was also named.