---
title: "Footage Shows Chinese Balloon Being Shot Down"
description: "It appears that the United States has shot down the Chinese balloon that made headlines as it soared over the country this week."
date: "2023-02-04"
modified: "2023-02-04"
authors:
  - name: "Jon Christian"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/footage-chinese-balloon-shot-down"
categories:
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "balloon"
  - "china"
  - "the digest"
---

# Footage Shows Chinese Balloon Being Shot Down

![It appears that the United States has shot down the Chinese balloon that made headlines as it soared over the country this week.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/footage-chinese-balloon-shot-down.jpg>)

## Shots! Shots!

Remember the mysterious Chinese balloon that raised eyebrows as it [soared over the United States](<https://futurism.com/china-says-spy-balloon-soaring-over-america-is-completely-innocent>) this past week, prompting a vast wave of speculation, political posturing, and memes?

Well, it appears to have been shot down:

https://twitter.com/justinbaragona/status/1621957409362042884

## With a Bang

The dramatic news doesn't come as a huge surprise. Early on Saturday, the [Pentagon had said](<https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/02/04/chinese-balloon-shoot-down/>) that it was considering making a move to take down the mysterious balloon.

Even United States president Joe Biden weighed in, saying that "we're gonna take care of it."

Still, we're currently left with more questions than answers. Visually, the object appeared to be sporting equipment, possibly including a solar array, hanging below its buoyant balloon portion. But its actual capabilities have remained hazy.

China, for its part, [said the craft](<https://apnews.com/article/politics-antony-blinken-china-314302278a5f05bdc2df146ed5b35ec6?taid=63dd14c8e59396000128d048&utm_campaign=TrueAnthem&utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter>) was a "civilian airship." We'll be watching for details as authorities recover the wreckage and figure out what was really going on.

One thing's for sure: nothing can unite Americans like a [mysterious balloon](<https://onezero.medium.com/lets-revisit-balloon-boy-de3cf504ad48>).

**More on the Chinese Balloon:** [*China Says "Spy Balloon" Soaring Over America Is Completely Innocent*](<https://futurism.com/china-says-spy-balloon-soaring-over-america-is-completely-innocent>)

## Author
I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/jonchristian.net>)