--- title: "Another Mysterious Balloon Sighted, This One Over Hawaii" description: "There is, it seems, another mysterious balloon floating over the United States, this time over the island state of Hawaii. " date: "2023-05-03" modified: "2023-05-03" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/mysterious-balloon-hawaii" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "balloon" - "Hawaii" - "Pentagon" - "the digest" --- # Another Mysterious Balloon Sighted, This One Over Hawaii ![There is, it seems, another mysterious balloon floating over the United States, this time over the island state of Hawaii. ]() *\Image: Department of Defense / Futurism\* ## Fly Away The US military is tracking yet another mysterious balloon floating over US soil, this time over the island state of Hawaii. Three officials familiar with the matter [told *NBC News*]() that they don't know where it came from or why it's there. According to one of the officials, the US military has been tracking the balloon since late last week, but has since concluded that there's [no need to shoot it down](). In a statement provided to the media, the Pentagon said there currently is "no indication that it was maneuvering or being controlled by a foreign or adversarial actor." "The balloon did not transit directly over defense critical infrastructure or other US Government sensitive sites," the statement continued, "nor did it pose a military or physical threat to people on the ground." The mysterious object is only the latest in a [series]() of [mysterious balloon sightings]() over the US since early February, kicking off a tense diplomatic stand-off as military officials scramble to make sense of the bizarre situation. ## Pricey Points In a separate statement, a spokesperson for the US Indo-Pacific Command revealed that three fighter jets were deployed to check this latest balloon out. "US Indo-Pacific Command responded to an unidentified radar signature Friday in the vicinity of the island of Hawaii," reads a statement provided to *NBC*. "Pacific Air Forces launched three F-22s to assess the situation and visually identified a spherical object. We monitored the transit of the object and assessed that it posed no threat." Of course, the fact that this is just the most recent in a series of balloons being spotted flying over the US does complicate matters. Earlier this year, the US military shot down a [suspected Chinese spy balloon](), kicking off a heated diplomatic exchange between the two countries. But where this latest balloon came from or what purpose it serves will likely remain a mystery for the foreseeable future. **More on US military weirdness:** [*Pentagon Official Breaks Down UFO Video “Frame-By-Frame” Before Congress*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()