Mystery balloon floated above Hawai‘i, headed toward Mexico

A mystery balloon has been sighted in the skies above Hawai‘i.

U.S. defense officials confirmed the object passed over portions of the island state last week, NBC News reported May 1.

The object, which is not believed to be a Chinese spy apparatus, is now floating toward Mexico and remains tracked by the U.S. military.

A similarly mysterious balloon was sighted near Kaua‘i on Valentine’s Day 2022, prompting the military to scramble fighter jets from O‘ahu.

More recently, the military confirmed reports of a balloon that flew over Hawai‘i in February 2023, months after a Chinese spy balloon was shot down off the coast of South Carolina.

In March, balloons that were part of a stratospheric communication capabilities test caused a kerfuffle online in Hawai‘i.