In the heated geopolitics of the 21st century, any belligerence between China and America will be closely watched by their respective fans around the world. The May incident where a suspected Chinese spy balloon drifted over much of the continental United States before an F-22 military fighter jet shot it down off the east coast has placed considerable strain on already-tense U.S.-China relations. Beijing has adamantly insisted that this helium-filled blimp was simply collecting weather data, while Washington countered that such activity could not be taken lightly and was a clear sign of China’s continued expansionist ambitions.
On October 14th, a high-altitude balloon carrying a payload of scientific instruments entered the stratosphere. Suddenly, the balloon ejected its payload, sending it spiraling down to Earth. This unexpected event has thrown an unexpected spotlight on stratospheric balloon technology. High-altitude balloons themselves are not new: in fact, there are upwards of thousands of balloons operating in the stratosphere every day. But it’s not every day that one is shot out of the sky, Top Gun-style. Stratospheric balloons offer unique opportunities for studying atmospheric phenomena from high up in the atmosphere, and their sudden departure has highlighted just how fragile these platforms can be.
Near Space Labs is using balloons to do things that satellites can’t do, like provide better images of Earth’s surface.
If the sensors on the Chinese balloon were capturing data related to climate change or weather patterns, than it could be that Beijing is using the balloon as part of an improved monitoring system for its citizens. Countries such as India and China are both notably populous countries with a growing importance in global politics, and so it is important for Beijing to have an accurate understanding of how their citizens are reacting to weather changes and other events occurring around the world.
The balloon’s high altitude made it difficult for the missile to hit it, and even if it had, the balloon would have continued on its way unaffected. Balloonists are usually only held at such altitudes for short periods of time – long enough for a photo or video but not long enough to cause major concern.
The atmospheric pressure on Mars is incredibly low, which could present some challenges for anyone attempting to launch a missile from the planet’s surface. However, the thin atmosphere also means that planes are necessary for accurate navigation – something that would not be necessary on Earth.
One possible explanation for the balloon shooting could be that Washington was growing impatient with Beijing’s increasingly aggressive posture in the region. For years, China has been ratcheting up its military presence in contested territories like the South China Sea, building up large artificial islands that it can use for military purposes. Last week, a Chinese naval flotilla sailed within 12 nautical miles of a US warship in the disputed territory ofthe East China Sea – a move which prompted Trump to order an “economic statement” on what he described as Beijing’s “unacceptable militarization of islands in international water.” These incidents are only adding to America’s concerns about Beijing’s intentions.
