Gallery: New photos released of effort to recover Chinese spy balloon

Jessica Edwards
Updated ·1 min read
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Sailors operate landing craft air cushions during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
Sailors operate landing craft air cushions during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
Sailors operate landing craft air cushions during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
Sailors operate landing craft air cushions during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
Sailors operate landing craft air cushions during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2023. (MCS3 Eric Moser/Navy)
Sailors operate landing craft air cushions during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2023. (MCS3 Eric Moser/Navy)
Sailors operate landing craft air cushions during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
Sailors operate landing craft air cushions during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
Sailors operate landing craft air cushions during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2023. (MCS3 Eric Moser/Navy)
Sailors operate landing craft air cushions during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 8, 2023. (MCS3 Eric Moser/Navy)
Sailors conduct pre-dive checks during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 7, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
Sailors conduct pre-dive checks during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 7, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
Sailors prepare an underwater vehicle to search for debris during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 7, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
Sailors prepare an underwater vehicle to search for debris during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 7, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
Sailors prepare to conduct a search for debris during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 7, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
Sailors prepare to conduct a search for debris during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 7, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
A sailor conducts a search for debris with an underwater vehicle during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 7, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
A sailor conducts a search for debris with an underwater vehicle during recovery efforts of a high-altitude balloon in the Atlantic Ocean, Feb. 7, 2023. (MCS1 Ryan Seelbach/Navy)
A landing craft air cushion approaches the well deck of the dock landing ship USS Carter Hall on Feb. 7, 2023, during efforts to recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon shot down Feb. 4 over the Atlantic Ocean. (Lt. j.g. Jerry Ireland/Navy)
A landing craft air cushion approaches the well deck of the dock landing ship USS Carter Hall on Feb. 7, 2023, during efforts to recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon shot down Feb. 4 over the Atlantic Ocean. (Lt. j.g. Jerry Ireland/Navy)
Sailors recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, while the dock landing ship USS Carter Hall transits nearby, Feb. 5, 2023. (MCS1 Tyler Thompson/Navy)
Sailors recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, while the dock landing ship USS Carter Hall transits nearby, Feb. 5, 2023. (MCS1 Tyler Thompson/Navy)
Sailors recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. (MCS1 Tyler Thompson/Navy)
Sailors recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. (MCS1 Tyler Thompson/Navy)
A Coast Guard helicopter flies over a debris field during recovery efforts of a high-altitude surveillance balloon Feb. 4, 2023. (Lt. j.g. Jerry Ireland/Navy)
A Coast Guard helicopter flies over a debris field during recovery efforts of a high-altitude surveillance balloon Feb. 4, 2023. (Lt. j.g. Jerry Ireland/Navy)

United States Northern Command, or NORTHCOM, has released additional images of the efforts to recover the Chinese balloon that floated across the U.S.

An F-22 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, shot down the balloon off the South Carolina coast on Feb. 4, with support from other fighter jets. The Navy, with help from the Coast Guard, spearheaded efforts to gather the remains. Pentagon officials said Wednesday the balloon is part of a large surveillance program China has been conducting for years. China claims it was a civilian balloon used for meteorological research.