Denver residents saw a strange aircraft in the sky, and some refused to accept the explanation that it was a research balloon. Several people phoned KDVR, a local radio station, to report the sighting of the orb-like device, and workers at the station were able to track it down. They discovered it belonged to World View Enterprises and was launched from Arizona days earlier to study solar radiation.
The company’s vice president of marketing and communications, Phil Wocken, called the balloon a “sophisticated system that allows us to fly and navigate in the stratosphere for days, weeks, and months.” The device flew at around 73,000 feet—far higher than commercial airspace.
Reinforcing the argument that aliens were not visiting Denver, meteorologist Chris Bianchi took to Twitter to say, “The balloon over the north side of the Denver area is not – repeat not – aliens.” However, many residents were not convinced. “That’s what they want us to think,” was just one response.
The sighting also sparked renewed discussion of the Chinese spy balloon episodes last year. One balloon drifted across the United States for days, prompting criticism of the Biden administration for failing to take it down. By the time it was shot down near South Carolina, it had been flying for seven days, including over sensitive US military sites while sending information back to Beijing.
Some media reports indicated that China had collected information via electronic signals emitted from weapons and communications systems. The Pentagon did not confirm which military sites were observed, but the device was known to have flown over Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, which maintains intercontinental ballistic missiles. It also passed above Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska and Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina, both of which oversee or maintain America’s nuclear arsenal.
President Biden downplayed the incident and said intelligence gathering is carried out by “every country around the world.” He also explained that the decision not to shoot it down immediately was based on concern about where it would land. “What happened if it came down and hit a school in a rural area?” he asked. The President left it to the military to make a determination and said they made a “wise decision” to wait until the device was over water.
